OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) - Amid the investigation into the Youtube attacker's motive, 10News is learning more about her frustrations over the site's policies, specifically the fight over ad dollars.
Recently, YouTube began requirements for creators to receive ad revenue, including at least a thousand subscribers.
Owen Hemsath runs Owen Video, a local consulting business helping companies and YouTube creators craft their videos. While Hemsath condemns Tuesday's attacks, the frustrations of YouTube shooter Nasim Aghdam are familiar.
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He says more than a year ago, in response to pressure from advertisers and consumers, YouTube started pulling ads from thousands of videos that it decides doesn't meet it's community standards. That means YouTube creators are losing their cut of the ad revenues.
YouTube creators are upset because when those ads are pulled, they aren't being told what they did wrong. Hemsath believes some of the items included in the site's cross hairs: overt marketing, political content, videos focused on a child, and any mention of violence or the word 'gun.'
Hemsath says the so-called 'Ad-pocalypse' is impacting thousands in San Diego County. Some had been receiving hundreds or thousands of dollars per month.
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"It's happening in such a way we just can't figure it out. They've given us no warning. They haven't really told us how to avoid against it. We're in a no man's land. People supporting their families with that money and now that money has been taken away from them," said Hemsath.
Hemsath says he knows local families who have bought homes with the ad revenues and overnight, their incomes are evaporated.
According to YouTube, advertisers now have greater control over which channels they ads end up on. The company says creators can upload their video and get a preview of whether the video will be demonetized before they make it public, and then appeal the decision.
Creators say that appeal process is too backed up.
