Highland Park suspect’s videos in 'grey area' that YouTube struggles to moderate

The videos posted on YouTube accounts associated with the suspect in the Highland Park, Illinois, shooting included the kinds of images and themes that pose a particular challenge to technology companies’ moderation efforts: violent but vague.

The suspect, Robert E. Crimo III, was also a rapper under the name “Awake,” posting videos of himself and his music. Some videos depicted extreme and ultraviolent imagery, including scenes of shootings. Ten months ago, on a separate account that featured numerous videos of Crimo, a video of an apparent view of the parade route in the majority-Jewish suburb of Chicago where the attack occurred was posted. Other videos on the channel included narration warning viewers about what someone who appeared to be Crimo described as his unstoppable destiny.

They’re the kinds of videos that can be tough for automated moderation technology or even human moderators to catch.