A few days back, Facebook was all proud and beaming about hitting eight billion video views a day. Sounds amazing, right? But hold your horses. Turns out, in early 2015, out of 1,000 top-viewed videos on Facebook, 725 were stolen. Yep, you read that right—stolen, racking up a whopping 17 billion views. These clips are swiped from YouTube and go viral on Facebook, but there’s a catch. Facebook’s rigging their algorithm to favor videos uploaded directly to their player over YouTube links. It’s all about keeping users hooked longer so they can show more ads. That’s their bread and butter.

Here’s another trick: Facebook counts a view after just three seconds, even if the video’s muted. Thanks to autoplay, if you scroll slowly, you’re marked as a viewer. But engagement sucks. Facebook views dive after a few seconds because they’re not genuine views. Still, big numbers look good, so Facebook keeps the charade going.

The big bummer? Video theft, or “freebooting”. Because Facebook’s player is prioritized, stolen content gets more eyeballs than the originals. We’ve been hit more and more lately. A recent stolen video of ours racked up 3.2 million views and 140,000 shares in just two days. Meanwhile, our original post reached only 100,000 people and got shared 1,000 times. Others have it worse. SmarterEveryDay’s videos are snatched a lot, sometimes getting up to 17 million views. And that’s nothing compared to guys like Tyrese Gibson, who steals viral videos, amassing 86 million views on his Facebook page, and even plugs his music. It’s maddening.

Independent creators get the short end of the stick. Contrary to what folks think, stolen content doesn’t really give creators exposure. The thief and Facebook are the only ones cashing in. Making quality videos takes loads of creativity, time, and effort. Our single video takes hundreds of hours to create. Even with over a million subs, we rely heavily on ads and our patrons’ support. For smaller creators, a viral video can make or break their career. YouTube, thankfully, has some decent safeguards against content theft, even though it’s not perfect. Facebook, on the other hand, turns a blind eye and keeps celebrating milestones. But all is not well.

Claiming your stolen content on Facebook is a nightmare. First, you get a tip from a fan with a link to your pilfered video. You can’t even search for your stolen videos yourself. Then, you Google ‘Facebook copyright infringement’ because it’s faster that way. Fill out a lengthy contact form and watch the stolen video’s views climb. Finally, Facebook pulls the video—usually after it’s already gone viral. The thief faces no consequences at all.

Facebook says they want to change, but with stolen viral videos still taking days to be removed and no shared profits, it’s hard to believe. Creators aren’t eager to team up with Facebook, knowing it’s built its video kingdom on stolen work. A corporation worth billions should do better.

Facebook’s trying out monetization models to give uploaders a slice of ad revenue. But, this mostly seems to cater to big media companies, with little regard for individual creators like us.

So, what can you do if you spot stolen content on Facebook? Drop a comment with a link to the original. Alert the creator, as only they can file a copyright claim. Share this video or one by SmarterEveryDay. We all want a free internet fostering creativity, community, and great content.

We hope Facebook turns partner rather than obstacle soon. If you’re keen on supporting our online video journey, you can do so on Patreon.