Removal of drill music video resulting in closing accounts from April 2019 to March 2023
Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.24.036452
I note you seek access to the following information:
1. Number of drill music videos referred to ‘youtube’ for removal and number of removals granted during April 2019 to March 2023 (broken down by year)?
2. Number of drill music videos referred to other music platforms for removal/ and number of removals granted April 2019 to March 2023 (broken down by year)
- Apple Music
- Instagram
- Facebook
- Ticktock
- Snapchat
3. Number of referrals to ‘youtube’ for removal of drill music videos broken down by each Constabulary (April 2019 to March 2023).
4. Number of social media accounts/ profiles closed as a result of drill content shared during April 2019 to March 2023 (broken down by year)?
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Ticktock
- Snapchat
5. How is the effectiveness of removing drill music from social media measured? And have you produced any data to record this?
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.
Please find below information pursuant to your request above.
Q1 - Number of drill music videos referred to ‘youtube’ for removal and number of removals granted during April 2019 to March 2023 (broken down by year)?
Q2 - Number of drill music videos referred to other music platforms for removal/ and number of removals granted April 2019 to March 2023 (broken down by year)
- Apple Music
- Ticktock
- Snapchat
In regards to your first and second question The MPS does not request the removal of content from online platforms, the MPS refers breaches of community guidelines to the platforms and the platforms make a decision on whether the content is removed.
The figures relate to referrals/removals of all musical content. We do not record whether the content is specifically from the genre of drill music as this is a subjective description. However, all musical content referred/removed would likely be considered as being from the genres of drill/rap/hip-hop and other similar genres and sub-genres of music.
| April 2019 to March 2020 | April 2020 to March 2021 | April 2021 to March 2022 | April 2022 to March 2023 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referred | Removed | Referred | Removed | Referred | Removed | Referred | Removed | |
| You Tube | 45 | 44 | 101 | 99 | 148 | 133 | 367 | 315 |
| 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 33 | 26 | 14 | 14 | |
| TikTok | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 18 |
| Apple Music | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
- Data is produced by financial year - 1 April to 31 March
- Data for April 2023 to March 2024 will be published following the conclusion of the current financial year.
- The data refers to referral/removal of unique items of content and may be lower than previously published figures which included details of multiple referrals for the same item of content.
Q3 - Number of referrals to ‘youtube’ for removal of drill music videos broken down by each Constabulary (April 2019 to March 2023).
The MPS does not hold this information for other constabularies.
Q4 - Number of social media accounts/ profiles closed as a result of drill content shared during April 2019 to March 2023 (broken down by year)?
- Apple Music
- Ticktock
- Snapchat
The MPS does not hold this information.
Q5 - How is the effectiveness of removing drill music from social media measured? And have you produced any data to record this?
The MPS will take all reasonable steps to reduce and prevent violence in London, one of these tactics is the identification of online content that may lead to an escalation of violence. As with many crime prevention measures it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of specific measures in reducing crime. Online content is one of many factors that may contribute to real world violence and it is impossible to assess its impact in isolation. There may be other intangible benefits of content removal which cannot be quantified. For example, the removal of distressing content referencing a serious assault or murder may reduce the harassment, alarm or distress of victim's families and friends. The MPS regularly reviews the effectiveness and use of tactics, balancing the resources required with the potential benefits of the tactic