Canal do Otário

Canal do Otário (lit. Sucker's Channel) is a Brazilian YouTube channel and website,^[2] created on February 3, 2012,^[3] by an anonymous user,^[4] whose host is a popular internet figure^[5] in Brazil, going by the name of "Otário Anonymous”.^[6] Otário investigates false advertising and rants about it on YouTube with a paper bag over his head.^[7][8][9]

Canal do Otário
Canal do Otário's main character: 'Otário Anonymous'
Presentation
Hosted by	Otário Anonymous
Genre	Activism
Language	Portuguese
Publication
Original release	3 February 2012; 12 years ago (2012-02-03)

CanalDoOtario

Type of site	Activism
Available in	Portuguese
Created by	Otário Anonymous
URL	www.canaldootario.com.br
Commercial	No
Launched	August 29, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-08-29)[1]
Current status	Online

Anonymity

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal,^[6] Otário said he cherishes his anonymity to protect his ability to speak freely and to allow viewers of all demographics to relate to him. In addition to the paper bag on his head, he wears a suit and white gloves to cover his race and age. His speech is distorted into a high-pitch, Mickey Mouse-like voice.^[4][10]

During an interview with The Noite, hosted by Danilo Gentili on SBT, Otário said that his anonymity also helps him to stay safe from any threat to his security.^[11]

Controversies

Bradesco

In one popular video,^[12] he warns Brazilian consumers about what he says are hidden fees when they invest in a Bradesco S/A mutual fund. "This is what they're doing", he says in the video, imitating an armed robber, firing a warning shot with his fingers and shoving a wad of cash into his pocket. Bradesco said the video was offensive and won a case against Google Inc. on 2012 to remove it from its YouTube platform.^[13] Google has not yet removed the video and has appealed the case to a federal court in São Paulo.^[6]

Correios

The video^[14] with criticisms about Brazilian Post and Telegraph Corporation (also known as Correios) was banned in Brazilian YouTube through a court order (though it still remains available on YouTube in other countries). The video compares rates in Brazil with other countries and criticizes the state monopoly in the postage sector. By Correios' request, the Brazilian court ordered Google Inc to delete some parts of the video that shows the company's logo, which claimed "improper use of trademark". The decision was taken in November 2013,^[15] however, it was only effectively fulfilled in June 2014, coincidentally after the start of the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet. The state-owned company said it will also request the removal of the video on Vimeo, as was done in Google.^[16]

Awards

• 2012 - Info Exame Magazine - Brazil, Editora Abril - "Perfil Geek of the Year"^[17]
• 2013 - YouTube, The Silver Play Button^[18]
• 2013 - Shorty Awards, Vox Populi Winner in Activism^[19]
• 2014 - Shorty Awards, Finalist in Activism^[20][21]
• 2015 - Shorty Awards, Finalist in Activist^[22]
• 2015 - Webby Award, Honoree for Online Film & Video / Public Service & Activism^[23]

See also

• List of YouTube celebrities

References

1. "Website whois" (in Portuguese). Registro.br. Published Aug 6, 2012. Retrieved Aug 17, 2014.
2. "Canal do Otário's website is reference at Jornal Nacional from Rede Globo, related to abusive food prices in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil" (in Portuguese). Jornal Nacional. Published Jan 31, 2014. Archived from the original on August 22, 2014. Retrieved Feb 8, 2014.
3. "Canal do Otário (About) on Youtube". YouTube. Retrieved Feb 4, 2014.
4. "Canal do Otário warns customers on Youtube about misleading advertisements" (in Portuguese). UOL Tecnologia. Published Feb 7, 2014. Retrieved Feb 8, 2014.
5. "Otário is becoming popular by making protests on internet against misleading advertisement". Época (in Portuguese). No. 746. Sep 1, 2012. Retrieved Feb 3, 2014.
6. Chao, Loretta (8 October 2013). "Brazilians on Social Media at Fore of Free-Speech Battle". Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal. Published Oct 9, 2013. Retrieved Feb 8, 2014.
7. "Canal do Otário shows abusive prices of Brazilian products" (in Portuguese). TecMundo. Ago 28, 2012. 28 August 2012. Retrieved Feb 4, 2014.
8. "Canal do Otário is reference at Record News with the host Herodoto Barbeiro" (in Portuguese). Record News. Published Jan 20, 2014. Retrieved Feb 8, 2014.
9. Siqueira, D. C. O.(2013). "Communication and Organizations. _ 21, p. 31" (PDF) (in Spanish). Revista Científica de la Asociación Latinoamericana de Carreras Univercitarias de Relaciones Públicas (ALACAURP). Oct. (2013). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 21, 2014. Retrieved Feb 14, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
10. "Social media users debating freedom of expression in Brazil". Wall Street Journal (in Portuguese). The Wall Street Journal (Brazil). Published Oct 10, 2013. 10 October 2013. Retrieved Feb 4, 2014.
11. "Interview with Canal do Otário at The Noite late-night talk show". Wall Street Journal (in Portuguese). SBT (Brazil). Published Jul 30, 2014. 10 October 2013. Retrieved Oct 26, 2014.
12. "Bradesco Mutual Fund (Canal do Otário's Video)" (in Portuguese). Canal do Otário. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved Feb 3, 2014.
13. Andrade, A. P. (2012). "10 Mantras of Social Media Marketing" (in Portuguese). DP6. Published Nov 28, 2012. Archived from the original on September 26, 2014. Retrieved Feb 14, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
14. "Correios or Curreios (Canal do Otário's Video)". Canal do Otário (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved Jul 11, 2014.
15. "Court Order". web.trf3.jus.br (in Portuguese). Tribunal Regional Federal da 3ª Região. Published Nov 25, 2013. Retrieved Jul 11, 2014.
16. "Video with criticisms about Correios was banned on YouTube by court order". Estadao. Published Jul 1, 2014. (in Portuguese). Retrieved Jul 11, 2014.
17. "Info 2012 Award Winners: Perfil Geek of the Year". Editora Abril (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2014-04-02. Retrieved Feb 4, 2014.
18. "Congratulations on surpassing 100,000 subscribers!". YouTube. Published Sep 9, 2013. Retrieved Feb 8, 2014.
19. "Canal do Otário is the Vox Populi Winner at 5th Annual Shorty Awards". Shorty Awards. Retrieved Feb 4, 2014.
20. "Announcing the 6th Annual Shorty Awards finalists!". Shorty Awards. Published Feb 24, 2014. Retrieved Feb 24, 2014.
21. "Justin Bieber, Lena Dunham, Jimmy Fallon Among Shorty Awards Finalists (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Published Feb 24, 2014. 24 February 2014. Retrieved Feb 25, 2014.
22. "Shorty Awards 2015: Nominees Include Shonda Rhimes, Chris Pratt, Laverne Cox (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Published Mar 2, 2015. 2 March 2015. Retrieved Mar 19, 2015.
23. "19th Annual Webby Awards: Honorees for Online Film & Video / Public Service & Activism". Webby Award. Published Apr 7, 2015. Retrieved Apr 14, 2015.

External links

• Canal do Otário's channel on YouTube (in Portuguese)
• Official website (in Portuguese)