World

Mexican drug gangs using YouTube as battleground

by Kaitlin | February 14, 2007 at 04:13 pm

1782 views | 5 Recommendations | 1 comment

**UPDATE: Boing Boing reports that YouTube is having a hard time keeping up with the drug cartel videos as they are appearing and being multiplied and reuploaded faster than can be kept up with. A search will produce the videos (I won't do so here, as I feel telling rather than showing is the modus operandi of this story). How YouTube will deal with this mounting crisis remains to be seen. Google hasn't said anything as of yet that I can see. If anyone has seen a statement from Google/YouTube, let us know.

Also, many of the videos offer cash rewards for other filmic evidence of attacks on their enemies, so they're not likely to disappear anytime soon. We'll keep on top of this story.**

It was only a matter of time before a relatively anonymous online video sharing site became the proving ground for a rivalry. This goes beyond anything most of us could have anticipated, however. YouTube reps swear such postings are immediately flagged and removed, but Saddam's hanging stayed up there for a pretty long time...

Police in Mexico are investigating claims that rival drug gangs are using the internet as a new battle ground.

An official said police were monitoring the pages of YouTube website for bloody video clips and slideshows apparently posted by cartel members.

Some clips contain gruesome scenes of violence, while in others gangsters appear to taunt their rivals. Their authenticity has not been confirmed.

In 2006, more than 2,000 people died in violence linked to Mexican drug gangs.

Some videos on the site show bloodied bodies with signs of gunshot wounds, while others show people praising the heads of rival cartels.

Many of the images are accompanied by songs and raps taunting opposing groups.