YouTube Defends Bondi Survivor Smear at Antisemitism Inquiry

Australia's antisemitism royal commission heard Tuesday that YouTube will leave online a video that falsely casts Bondi Beach terror survivor Arsen Ostrovsky as a crisis actor after senior-level review. Google Australia policy manager Rachel Lord said the video met platform standards, while counsel assisting Richard Lancaster called its continued availability a serious deficiency in YouTube's hate-speech guidelines. The December Hanukkah attack in Sydney killed 15 people, and police say the father-and-son gunmen were inspired by Islamic State. Ostrovsky, a Jewish community figure wounded in the attack, told the inquiry he has faced online hate, abuse, vilification and AI manipulation.