WebProNews

The idea of projecting toughness with a YouTube video is an iffy one from the start.  Now, it looks like British folks will have to attack the task empty-handed, as new YouTube.co.uk rules prohibit "showing weapons with the aim of intimidation."

You can chalk the changes up to Britain's unusually deep concerns about gun and knife violence.  As for their reach, there's no sign that the restrictions will spread to any other version of YouTube (cue sighs from American rappers), but this may be the start of a trend within the geographic region.

 

"This is a real step forward," Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told the BBC.  "I would like to see other internet service providers follow suit to reinforce our message that violence will not be tolerated either on the internet or in the real world."

Of course, given YouTube's massive market share, the cooperation of other sites might not matter much one way or the other.

Anyway, the move comes in addition to recent rule changes designed to crack down on terrorists' videos, and counts as the first UK-specific adjustment YouTube has ever made.