Could watching or sharing a video on Facebook be immoral?

If you are watching a video that could be mistaken for the latest installment of Girls Gone Wild, then you probably already know the obvious answer.  However, that adorable video of that bunny eating raspberries that you just watched or shared on Facebook could be stolen and you didn't even know it.

I've seen this trend on Facebook and today I learned the proper term for it is "Facebook Freebooting".  I've had an issue with this for a long time but haven't posted about it until now.

If you have ever watched a video on Facebook that was shared a ton of times and it wasn't linked to YouTube it was likely stolen.   When a person posts a video on YouTube, they have the possibility of getting revenue from that video through advertising.  A person wanting to boost traffic to their page  will sometimes download a popular YouTube video that is not their own, upload it to Facebook and share it publicly.  They will do so without linking to the original YouTube creator or video and most of the time without permission.  This is called piracy.  Piracy is immoral.  If you're a follower of the Bible, it even made it into the top ten. (Exd 20:15)

Once the video goes viral on Facebook, instead of the original creator gaining revenue through advertising now, Facebook gleans the rewards.  Facebook is also culpable in this crime by not taking simple measures to police this practice nor reimburse the victims.

YouTuber, SmarterEveryDay has a video that explains this in a clearer and more entertaining way:

This form of piracy via social media is illegal and immoral.  If you share a pirated video, you are only perpetuating crime and robbing the victim even further.   Facebook now auto plays videos so it might be hard not to watch said video, but at least go to YouTube and watch it.  If you suspect or know that a video on Facebook has been pirated, here are three things you can do:

For a further and much better post about this subject read this blog by YouTube creator It's Okay To Be Smart.

Romans 13:7-9 (NLT) says

"Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.

 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.  For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.”  These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”