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Source: www.youtube.com / Via: www.youtube.com
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Want that college degree without that college education? Well, does YouTube have a scam for you!
Several YouTubers are under fire this week after the BBC reported that they were being paid to advertise Ukrainian-based website “EduBirdie.” EduBirdie bills themselves as the “professional essay writing service for students who can’t even.” The website boasts that EduBirdie is a fast and reliable way for clients to get their academic work done by professional academic writers. Our simple process guarantees high quality and original work to clients, while also maintaining confidentiality.
I feel like there used to be some cloak and dagger to cheating, but this being 2018, all rules are out the window.
Several popular YouTubers were named in the BBC report, including Adam Saleh. And, if you are wondering if these YouTubers fully understood what they were selling, or if they thought it was a tutoring program, advertisements, including ones from vlogger Onision, don’t leave much room for doubt.
YouTube appears to be taking this very seriously according to a spokesman for the company.
“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. We do not allow ads for essay writing and so paid promotions of these services will be removed when we discover them. We will be working with creators going forward so they better understand that in video promotions must not promote dishonest activity.”
In addition to being morally iffy at best, it turns out, EduBirdie isn’t very good. As part of its investigation, BBC News ordered two essays from the service. According to the piece, the GCSE essay was given a C or 5/6 and the university assignment 60%. Not quite the guaranteed A+ grade promised by EduBirdie.
Essay cheating has been around as long as teachers have forced students to write essays. The current controversy is blatant, out in the open marketing to kids by a pretty large company of I’m assuming grown ass people doing a mediocre job. Cheating used to be an underground thing where a friendly nerd theater major who needed weed money would write your psych paper for you and get you a “B+”. “As” were extra.
What do you think? Do you feel like EduBirdie is taking advantage of YouTube’s young audience, or is this another example of “but think of the children” reporting? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.
