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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| The YouTube stars being paid to sell cheating | The YouTube stars being paid to sell cheating |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| YouTube stars are being paid to sell academic cheating, a BBC investigation has found. | YouTube stars are being paid to sell academic cheating, a BBC investigation has found. |
| More than 250 channels are promoting EduBirdie, based in Ukraine, which allows students to buy essays, rather than doing the work themselves. | More than 250 channels are promoting EduBirdie, based in Ukraine, which allows students to buy essays, rather than doing the work themselves. |
| YouTube said it would help creators understand they cannot promote dishonest behaviour. | YouTube said it would help creators understand they cannot promote dishonest behaviour. |
| Sam Gyimah, Universities Minister for England, says YouTube has a moral responsibility to act. | Sam Gyimah, Universities Minister for England, says YouTube has a moral responsibility to act. |
| He said he was shocked by the nature and scale of the videos uncovered by the BBC: "It's clearly wrong because it is enabling and normalising cheating potentially on an industrial scale." | He said he was shocked by the nature and scale of the videos uncovered by the BBC: "It's clearly wrong because it is enabling and normalising cheating potentially on an industrial scale." |
| The BBC Trending investigation uncovered more than 1,400 videos with a total of more than 700 million views containing EduBirdie adverts selling cheating to students and school pupils. | The BBC Trending investigation uncovered more than 1,400 videos with a total of more than 700 million views containing EduBirdie adverts selling cheating to students and school pupils. |
| EduBirdie is based in Ukraine, but aims its services at pupils and students across the globe. | EduBirdie is based in Ukraine, but aims its services at pupils and students across the globe. |
| Essay writing services are not illegal, but if students submit work they have paid for someone else to do the penalties can be severe. | Essay writing services are not illegal, but if students submit work they have paid for someone else to do the penalties can be severe. |
| The company is not just aiming to capture the attention of university students with its advertising. | The company is not just aiming to capture the attention of university students with its advertising. |
| Popular YouTubers, some as young as 12, are being paid to personally endorse the service. | Popular YouTubers, some as young as 12, are being paid to personally endorse the service. |
| In some of the videos YouTubers say if you cannot be bothered to do the work, EduBirdie has a "super smart nerd" who will do it for you. | In some of the videos YouTubers say if you cannot be bothered to do the work, EduBirdie has a "super smart nerd" who will do it for you. |
| The adverts appear in videos on YouTube channels covering a range of subjects, including pranks, dating, gaming, music and fashion. | The adverts appear in videos on YouTube channels covering a range of subjects, including pranks, dating, gaming, music and fashion. |
| They include several by stars such as Adam Saleh whose channel has four million subscribers, and British gamer JMX who has two and a half million subscribers. | They include several by stars such as Adam Saleh whose channel has four million subscribers, and British gamer JMX who has two and a half million subscribers. |
| Following the BBC's investigation, both have now removed videos with EduBirdie adverts from YouTube. | Following the BBC's investigation, both have now removed videos with EduBirdie adverts from YouTube. |
| The BBC also approached the mother of one 12-year-old, who had promoted the company to his 200,000 followers. She also took her advert down. | The BBC also approached the mother of one 12-year-old, who had promoted the company to his 200,000 followers. She also took her advert down. |
| More time for games | More time for games |
| Channels with tens of thousands of subscribers can be offered hundreds of dollars for each advert. | Channels with tens of thousands of subscribers can be offered hundreds of dollars for each advert. |
| They are not clearly labelled video ads, which are common on YouTube channels. | They are not clearly labelled video ads, which are common on YouTube channels. |
| Instead the YouTuber usually breaks off from what they are doing to personally endorse EduBirdie, promising that the company will deliver an A+ essay for money. | Instead the YouTuber usually breaks off from what they are doing to personally endorse EduBirdie, promising that the company will deliver an A+ essay for money. |
| Some YouTubers suggest that using the service will free up time to play video games or take drugs. | Some YouTubers suggest that using the service will free up time to play video games or take drugs. |
| So prevalent is the promotion of EduBirdie that very young children are posting videos on YouTube of themselves mimicking the ads. | So prevalent is the promotion of EduBirdie that very young children are posting videos on YouTube of themselves mimicking the ads. |
| Sam Gyimah said that EduBirdie's marketing was shocking and pernicious as it presented cheating as "a lifestyle choice". | Sam Gyimah said that EduBirdie's marketing was shocking and pernicious as it presented cheating as "a lifestyle choice". |
| He said the YouTubers involved should be "called out" for abusing their power as social influencers. | He said the YouTubers involved should be "called out" for abusing their power as social influencers. |
| "I think YouTube has a huge responsibility here," he said. | "I think YouTube has a huge responsibility here," he said. |
| "They do incredibly well from the advertising revenue that they get from the influencers and everyone else. But this is something that is corrosive to education and I think YouTube has got to step up to the plate and exercise some responsibility here." | "They do incredibly well from the advertising revenue that they get from the influencers and everyone else. But this is something that is corrosive to education and I think YouTube has got to step up to the plate and exercise some responsibility here." |
| About 30 of the channels promoting EduBirdie are from Britain and Ireland. | About 30 of the channels promoting EduBirdie are from Britain and Ireland. |
| They include a student vlogger at a top UK university. | They include a student vlogger at a top UK university. |
| Another is a popular 15-year-old YouTuber, whose mother was unaware he was promoting the company until she was approached by the BBC. | Another is a popular 15-year-old YouTuber, whose mother was unaware he was promoting the company until she was approached by the BBC. |
| Shakira Martin, the President of the National Union of Students, said: "I think it's totally disgusting the fact that these type of organisations are exploiting vulnerable young people through getting them to promote something that isn't good, isn't ethical." | Shakira Martin, the President of the National Union of Students, said: "I think it's totally disgusting the fact that these type of organisations are exploiting vulnerable young people through getting them to promote something that isn't good, isn't ethical." |
| She added that students who were working to support themselves while studying might be most tempted to use EduBirdie. | She added that students who were working to support themselves while studying might be most tempted to use EduBirdie. |
| Google's own research found YouTubers were more influential than celebrities when it came to promoting products. | Google's own research found YouTubers were more influential than celebrities when it came to promoting products. |
| Toni Hopponen, from the tech company Flockler, advises businesses and some universities on how to tap into the power of social influencers. | Toni Hopponen, from the tech company Flockler, advises businesses and some universities on how to tap into the power of social influencers. |
| He said this was creating new challenges as it is outside the regulations that apply to traditional advertising. | He said this was creating new challenges as it is outside the regulations that apply to traditional advertising. |
| "There's always been unethical advertising out there - but now the channels like YouTube provide a way for all of us to be publishers and the scale is huge. " | "There's always been unethical advertising out there - but now the channels like YouTube provide a way for all of us to be publishers and the scale is huge. " |
| One British YouTuber, Alpay B urges viewers in one of his videos: "Don't waste your time doing your essays, let these people do it for you." | One British YouTuber, Alpay B urges viewers in one of his videos: "Don't waste your time doing your essays, let these people do it for you." |
| In a statement, he told the BBC: "Whether a student wants to cheat or not it's totally their choice. You can't really blame EduBirdie or creators who promote them because everyone's got their own hustle." | In a statement, he told the BBC: "Whether a student wants to cheat or not it's totally their choice. You can't really blame EduBirdie or creators who promote them because everyone's got their own hustle." |
| The BBC ordered two essays through EduBirdie, opting for them to be written from scratch. | The BBC ordered two essays through EduBirdie, opting for them to be written from scratch. |
| One was an English Literature GCSE coursework essay, the other a first-year degree course assignment. | One was an English Literature GCSE coursework essay, the other a first-year degree course assignment. |
| Both were delivered with only the students' names left blank to be filled in. | Both were delivered with only the students' names left blank to be filled in. |
| The GCSE essay was given a C or 5/6 and the university assignment 60% - not quite the guaranteed A+ grade promised by EduBirdie. | |
| Serious consequences | Serious consequences |
| On its website EduBirdie says the essays provided by its writers are "100% plagiarism free". | On its website EduBirdie says the essays provided by its writers are "100% plagiarism free". |
| In practice, this means the essays are written to order, rather than copied and pasted from elsewhere on the internet. | In practice, this means the essays are written to order, rather than copied and pasted from elsewhere on the internet. |
| So if a student submits an EduBirdie essay as their own work, it might not be detected by anti-cheating software. | So if a student submits an EduBirdie essay as their own work, it might not be detected by anti-cheating software. |
| Any university student found to have submitted work done by someone else would face disciplinary action. | Any university student found to have submitted work done by someone else would face disciplinary action. |
| "If you've worked hard to get to university, you potentially throw it all away by cheating and getting found out. It is wrong, full stop," Mr Gyimah said. | "If you've worked hard to get to university, you potentially throw it all away by cheating and getting found out. It is wrong, full stop," Mr Gyimah said. |
| EduBirdie is run by a company called Boosta, which operates a number of essay-writing websites. | EduBirdie is run by a company called Boosta, which operates a number of essay-writing websites. |
| In a statement it said: "We cannot be held responsible for what social influencers say on their channels. | In a statement it said: "We cannot be held responsible for what social influencers say on their channels. |
| "We give influencers total freedom on how they prefer to present the EduBirdie platform to their audience in a way they feel would be most relevant to their viewers. | "We give influencers total freedom on how they prefer to present the EduBirdie platform to their audience in a way they feel would be most relevant to their viewers. |
| "We do admit that many tend to copy and paste each others' shout-outs with a focus on 'get someone to do your homework for you', but this is their creative choice." | "We do admit that many tend to copy and paste each others' shout-outs with a focus on 'get someone to do your homework for you', but this is their creative choice." |
| It added that there was a disclaimer on the EduBirdie site which suggested that the work it provided should only be used as a sample or a reference. | It added that there was a disclaimer on the EduBirdie site which suggested that the work it provided should only be used as a sample or a reference. |
| A YouTube spokesman told the BBC: "YouTube creators may include paid endorsements as part of their content only if the product or service they are endorsing complies with our advertising policies." | A YouTube spokesman told the BBC: "YouTube creators may include paid endorsements as part of their content only if the product or service they are endorsing complies with our advertising policies." |
| They added: "We will be working with creators going forward so they better understand that in video promotions must not promote dishonest activity." | They added: "We will be working with creators going forward so they better understand that in video promotions must not promote dishonest activity." |