Google’s YouTube service includes many videos selling stolen credit card data, according to an Internet-safety research group.
The Digital Citizens Alliance accused YouTube of failing to block the videos while profiting from legitimate advertisements that run next to them. Doing a search for how to get valid 2014 credit card numbers yielded almost 16,000 results, according to a report released today.
YouTube said its guidelines prohibit content that encourages illegal activities, including videos selling illicit material.
Ironically, companies such as American Express Co. and Amazon.com Inc. had their ads appear alongside videos selling stolen credit card data.
The Digital Citizens Alliance is supported by “private citizens; the health, pharmaceutical, creative, and other leading industries; online safety experts; and other communities focused on Internet safety,” according to its official web page.