If you are a user of Facebook, you've probably noticed that there is a new video system in place. Instead of simply linking directly to Youtube, Facebook has created it's own upload system. Facebook has boasted about the skyrocketing number of views that the videos posted on the site have been getting. It seems innocent enough until you realize that, one, Facebook autoplays the videos and, two, counts you as a viewer even if you are just scrolling past it.
Either way, what does this have to do with content creators? Just take a look at the Facebook pages of people like SoFloAntonio and Vine Gag. These are just two examples of accounts that are blatantly uploading other people's content without credit. SoFloAntonio goes as far as to take up the top five comments on his videos to prevent viewers from seeing comments that call him out for stealing content. Accounts like these are stealing content and getting paid. So what is Facebook doing about it?
As it turns out, nothing. Facebook has actually gone as far to purposefully make it difficult to claim copyright. If you do manage to claim it, it can take weeks before any action is taken. SoFloAntonio and Vine Gag have been reported again and again for abuse, but Facebook is refusing to take the accounts down. Despite their unethical methods, both accounts produce large amounts of views. Facebook clearly wants to keep their view numbers up, so they are excusing the stolen content.
Stealing content is stealing people's livelihoods. It's stealing their art, ideas, time, and effort. If you want to keep seeing people produce original content on Facebook, report pages that steal content and comment the link to the original video.