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Matan UzielIsraeli blogger, film director, film producer
Date of Birth: 21.04.1985
Country:  Israel |
Content:
- YouTube's Response and Uziel's Advocacy
- Roman Polanski Defamation Lawsuit
- Real Women Real Stories
- Activism and Advocacy
- Personal Life
Israeli Blogger, Filmmaker, and Producer Exposes Child Exploitation on YouTube
Matan Uziel, a prominent Israeli blogger, filmmaker, and producer, played a pivotal role in exposing disturbing videos featuring children in compromising and abusive situations on YouTube. On September 22, 2017, he submitted a detailed report to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, alerting them to "tens of thousands of videos available on the video-sharing platform that were clearly produced to serve as a front for distributing the sick fantasies of pedophiles."
YouTube's Response and Uziel's Advocacy
On November 22, YouTube responded to BuzzFeed News, stating that it had "terminated over 270 accounts and removed over 150,000 videos," disabled comments on over 625,000 videos, and demonetized nearly 2 million videos and over 50,000 channels that were using family-friendly content to mask their exploitative content. Uziel has given numerous interviews in defense of YouTube removing content that may be "controversial but serves a public good," arguing that such content should not be deleted.
Roman Polanski Defamation Lawsuit
In December 2017, Polanski filed a 1.5 million shekel defamation lawsuit in the Herzliya Magistrate's Court against Uziel. Polanski alleged that Uziel had falsely claimed on his website (www.imetpolanski.com) that five women had come forward with an account of sexual misconduct (rape, molestation, harassment) they had suffered at Polanski's hands. The suit resulted in a defamation and libel trial.
Despite Polanski's repeated attempts to avoid appearing in court, the presiding judge, Gilad Hess, rejected his appeals and eventually ordered Polanski to pay Uziel 10,000 shekels for trial costs. In November 2018, it was reported that Polanski had decided to drop the libel suit, and the court ruled that he must pay Uziel 30,000 shekels (approximately $8,000) for legal expenses. The court also granted Uziel's request to have the lawsuit dismissed with prejudice, meaning Polanski could not sue Uziel again on the same issue.
In December 2019, Polanski accused Uziel in interviews with Paris Match and Gazeta Wyborcza of orchestrating an international campaign to damage his reputation and destroy his career.
Real Women Real Stories
The "Real Women Real Stories" project, founded by Uziel in March 2016, is a global collection of video testimonies by women from around the world, sharing their insights and experiences on various topics, providing valuable content that sheds light on essential issues. Through these documentaries, Uziel's project aims to give a voice to women and empower them to speak out about issues that need attention. Since its inception, the project's materials have been widely recognized and shared internationally.
Activism and Advocacy
Uziel has a history of activism and advocacy. He served as the National Eating Disorders Association's International Advocate. During his tenure, he created a petition on Change.org against Spreadshirt, accusing the online merchandise company of selling t-shirts that glamourized and, in some cases, encouraged eating disorders. Over a decade ago, a nude video of renowned Mexican actress Viet, Michelle, was leaked online, causing her severe emotional distress. In July 2017, Viet contacted Uziel, who assisted her in getting the video removed from the internet.
In August 2017, Uziel launched a petition calling for former priest and convicted child molester Paul Shanley to be placed in a structured treatment facility where he would have no access to children. Over 15,000 people signed the petition as of August 5, 2017, urging GPS monitoring to track Shanley's location.
On February 16, 2018, Katinka Hosszu, a three-time Olympic and nine-time multiple world champion swimmer from Hungary, filed for divorce from Shane Tusup. On May 25, 2018, Hosszu's Facebook page was deleted by Tusup, who was the sole administrator of the page. However, with the help of Uziel, Hosszu regained access to her Facebook page on June 6, 2018, and later her Instagram account.
In August 2019, Uziel and his "Real Women Real Stories" team discovered that Amazon UK was selling t-shirts featuring a graphic Holocaust-era photograph depicting a man about to be shot at the edge of a mass grave. The shirts used the notorious image known as "The Last Jew of Vinnitsa." Uziel reported the discovery to Israel's Channel 2, and Amazon removed the items from their site following the channel's inquiry. As of August 2019, it was reported that other questionable merchandise was still available on Amazon.
Personal Life
Matan Uziel is Jewish and has two sisters. He is the grandson of Moshe Gueron and is distantly related to Arianna Huffington.
