YouTube, under pressure for problem content, takes down 58 million videos

FILE PHOTO: A picture illustration shows a YouTube logo reflected in a person's eye June 18, 2014. The picture was flipped horizontally. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo

YouTube took down more than 58 million videos and 224 million comments during the third quarter based on violations of its policies, the unit of Alphabet Inc's Google said on Thursday in an effort to demonstrate progress in suppressing problem content.

Government officials and interest groups in the United States, Europe and Asia have been pressuring YouTube, Facebook Inc and other social media services to quickly identify and remove extremist and hateful content that critics have said incite violence.