Report Hate on YouTube: Comments, Videos and Live Chat

Insults under your video, hate rolling through the live chat, or someone has uploaded a video about you that you never wanted. If you want to report hate on YouTube, reporting a comment is only part of the answer. This guide shows how to secure evidence, report comments, videos and live chat messages, get videos about you removed, protect your own channel and when hate on YouTube is a criminal offence in Germany.

What should you save before you report hate on YouTube?

Save first, then report. Once the comment is deleted, your evidence is gone too.

• Comment: a screenshot with the channel name, the text and the time. Add a screenshot of the video it is under.
• Link to the comment: on a computer, clicking the time next to the name usually leads to an address that highlights exactly that comment. Copy it.
• Channel: the @handle and the link to the channel. Names can change, so note when you saved them.
• Video: link, title, channel and date. Note the minute in which you are shown or insulted. When sharing, you can create a link that starts at that point.
• Live chat: messages scroll past quickly. Take screenshots right away and note the video link and time. Whether the chat can still be viewed later is not certain, so do not rely on it.

Important with nude images: if a video shows sexual content of you or others, do not take screenshots and do not download anything. Note the link and describe what can be seen. If minors are involved, saving or forwarding can itself be a criminal offence (§§ 184b, 184c of the German Criminal Code, StGB). Report the video and turn to the police.

More on screenshots and links is in How to Secure Evidence of Online Hate.

How do you report a comment on YouTube?

On YouTube, the report option sits behind the three dots. Labels can change with updates.

• Comment: the three dots next to the comment → “Report” → choose a reason, such as harassment or hate speech.
• Video or Short: via the three-dot menu on the video or at the top of the Short → “Report”.
• Live chat: tap the message or open its menu → “Report”.
• Channel: on the channel page, you also find “Report” in the menu. This fits when a channel attacks you again and again.

According to YouTube, reporting is anonymous. Other users cannot see who made the report.

If you think content breaks the law, you can also select a legal issue when reporting. YouTube then takes you to a form in which you explain which right has been violated.

What can you do if someone uploads a video about you?

Someone films you secretly, uploads a video that ridicules you, or shows your name and address. YouTube has its own procedure for this: the privacy complaint.

• Being identifiable: you must be uniquely identifiable in the video, for example by your face, your voice, your full name or details such as your address and phone number.
• Point to the spot: give the minute in which you can be seen or heard.
• Who can complain: generally only you. Parents or guardians can act for their child, and so can a legal representative.
• Weighing up: YouTube considers public interest, newsworthiness and consent, among other things.

YouTube recommends first asking the uploader to remove the video. Only do this if it is safe for you. If you are threatened or stalked, do not make contact.

Under German law, images of you may generally only be shared with your consent (§ 22 of the Art Copyright Act, KUG). Exceptions are set out in § 23 KUG. A breach can be a criminal offence (§ 33 KUG), but it is only prosecuted on request. Sharing images that can seriously damage your reputation can also be an offence (§ 201a(2) StGB). Under civil law, you can demand that the video be deleted and not reappear. More on this in our guide to injunctions and damages for personality rights violations.

How do you protect your own channel?

YouTube Studio has several tools. Save evidence before you use them.

• Hold comments for review: you set how strictly YouTube holds back potentially inappropriate comments, up to holding all comments. Held comments are not public and stay in YouTube Studio for review for up to 60 days.
• Blocked words: comments containing these words are held for review. In live chat, such messages are blocked.
• Hold links: comments with links only appear after your review.
• Hide user: this person’s comments disappear from all your videos. You will no longer see them in YouTube Studio either. Save everything first.
• Live chat moderation: appoint moderators who can remove messages and exclude users. You can also turn comments off completely.

When is hate on YouTube a criminal offence?

The same criminal law applies on YouTube as everywhere else. The main provisions of the German Criminal Code (StGB) are:

• Insult (Beleidigung, § 185 StGB), written or spoken.
• Defamation (§§ 186, 187 StGB): for example a video spreading false claims about you.
• Threat (Bedrohung, § 241 StGB).
• Incitement to hatred (Volksverhetzung, § 130 StGB): stirring up hatred against groups, for example because of origin or religion.
• Dangerous dissemination of personal data (§ 126a StGB): for example when your address is shown to put you at risk.
• Stalking (Nachstellung, § 238 StGB): when someone pursues you again and again. This is prosecuted ex officio.

Whether specific content is a criminal offence is for the police or a law firm to assess. Insults are generally only prosecuted if a request for prosecution (Strafantrag) is filed (§ 194 StGB), within three months of learning of the act and the offender (§ 77b StGB).

In acute danger? If you are being threatened in a concrete way: call the police on 110, the emergency number in Germany.

What does YouTube have to do after your report?

In the EU, YouTube is subject to the Digital Services Act (DSA). Under Art. 16 DSA, YouTube must accept reports of illegal content, process them carefully and tell you its decision. If YouTube rejects your report, you can lodge a free complaint under Art. 20 DSA for at least six months. The next steps are explained in Platform Not Responding to Your Report? DSA Complaints. The overview is in Digital Services Act: What Platforms Must Do About Online Hate.

What happens after your report?

Removal stops the content, not the person. If you want them held accountable, file a criminal complaint (Anzeige) with the police or online through the online police station (Onlinewache) of your federal state. Include links, channel names and times.

If this is weighing on you: the Nummer gegen Kummer helpline is on 116 111 (Monday to Saturday, 2 to 8 pm), the Telefonseelsorge crisis line around the clock on 0800 111 0 111. Both work in German. HateAid offers counselling on digital violence.

Frequently asked questions

Is reporting on YouTube anonymous?

Yes. According to YouTube, other users cannot see who reported content.

Can I get a video removed if I only appear briefly?

That depends on whether you are uniquely identifiable and how YouTube weighs the public interest. File the privacy complaint and give the exact minute.

What happens when I hide a user on my channel?

Their comments are no longer visible on your videos, not even to you in YouTube Studio. So save screenshots and links first.

How do I save hate in the live chat?

Take screenshots right away and note the video link and time. Whether the chat can still be viewed later is not certain.

You can also report it through our form. If you say yes, your report goes automatically to a suitable cooperating law firm (Kooperationskanzlei) as soon as one is available. The legal assessment comes from the law firm, not from us. If there is no suitable firm right now, you get an email with other places to turn to straight away. Deadlines keep running: you can always file a request for prosecution (Strafantrag) with the police yourself.