This document details the changes made to the BitChute policy documents on the 1st June 2021.
Terms & Conditions
No changes
Privacy Policy
No changes
Cookie Policy
No changes
Our Commitment
No changes
Community Guidelines
Content Sensitivity
To aid with user understanding on the sort of content they should expect to see when viewing Normal sensitivity content, we have added the following reference to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) '12' rating under the 'Normal' sub-section:
When viewing, Normal content should be considered equivalent to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) ‘12’ rating.
Additionally, the other links to British Board of Film Classification ratings have been updated to align with changes in the BBFC website structure.
Incitement to Hatred (UK, EU, EEA & territories)
Click here to learn more about Incitement to Hatred.
During consultation with the UK Office of Communications (Ofcom) it was determined that the wording of the Incitement to Hatred guideline was too narrow, did not fully cover the scope of the regulations, and could lead to users not raising reports on in-scope content. To address these issues the guideline has been updated as follows:
Previous Wording
As defined in the UK Audio-visual Media Services Regulations 2020, this applies to hatred against a group of persons or a member of a group of persons based on any of the grounds referred to in Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
There should be a reasonable probability that the content would succeed in inciting actual action against the target, recognizing that such causation should be rather direct.
New Wording
As defined in Section 368E Subsection (1) of the UK Communications Act 2003, this applies to any material likely to incite hatred against a group of persons or a member of a group of persons based on any of the grounds referred to in Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
Terrorism & Violent Extremism
This section has been reworded to improve clarity on the sources of terrorist designation and how we they are handled on the platform. The changes are as follows:
Previous Wording
Defined as any act of violence or intimidation carried out with the intention of furthering a religious, political or any other ideological objective.
BitChute maintains and publishes a Proscribed Terrorist & Violent Extremist List that is utilised when identifying terrorist and violent extremist material. As this list will evolve over time, we suggest that all users regularly check it to ensure they are not breaching the guidelines.
New Wording
Defined as any act of violence or intimidation carried out with the intention of furthering a religious, political or any other ideological objective.
Entities that have been designated under counterterrorism legislation will be blocked within the jurisdiction of the relevant nation state or international organisation. In addition, those designated by the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States of America, the United Nations, the European Union or any member state of the European Union will be prohibited on the platform.
BitChute maintains and publishes a Prohibited Entities List that contains entities that BitChute has independently identified and explicitly prohibited on the platform under this guideline. As this list will evolve over time, we suggest that all users regularly check it to ensure they are not breaching the guidelines.
Incitement to Violence
During consultation with the UK Office of Communications (Ofcom) it was determined that the wording of the Incitement to Violence guideline was too narrow, did not fully cover the scope of the regulations, and could lead to users not raising reports on in-scope content. To address these issues the guideline has been updated as follows:
Previous Wording
Defined as credible threats of violence or incitement to violence where there is a reasonable probability that the content would succeed in actual action against the target, recognizing that such causation should be rather direct.
New Wording
Defined as containing threats of violence or likely to incite violence.
Disclaimer
This is a new addition to the Community Guidelines, the wording is as follows:
Any action taken by BitChute or its staff whilst enforcing these Community Guidelines is at our sole discretion and is not a legal opinion. Any reference to external definitions, legislation, or other material is for reference purposes only. We reserve the right to remove content for reasons not currently defined within these Community Guidelines.
Copyright Policy
No changes
Content Moderation Policy
No changes
Proscribed Terrorist & Violent Extremist List
Replaced with Prohibited Entities List.