SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A half-hour expose on a brutal African warlord produced by a group of San Diego filmmakers has become the fastest growing Internet video campaign in history, an organization that measures social video advertising announced Friday.
In other words, "Kony 2012," from the San Diego-based group Invisible Children, is the "viralest" video of all time, according to Visible Measures.
The production has brought a massive amount of sympathy for the plight of Ugandan children, who the filmmakers say are impressed by warlord Joseph Kony into his militia or forced to be sex slaves.
It has also opened the door to criticism of Invisible Children, which is being accused of having questionable financial practices. The group has been trying to raise attention about problems in Africa for several years.
This time, their video hit the jackpot, capturing the attention of millions, including celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Rihanna and Justin Bieber, who spread the word on their Twitter accounts.
"As of this morning, the Kony campaign has topped 70 million total views," Video Measures reported on its company blog. It also has received 500,000 comments.
The firm also reported that about 200 videos have been posted in response to "Kony 2012."
The growth of the video is one day faster than that of singer Susan Boyle, the previous viral video champion, Video Measures reported.
It said "Kony 2012" was first posted on Vimeo about two weeks ago, and the You Tube campaign began on Monday.
Video Measures expects the number of views to top 100 million soon.
On Twitter, Invisible Children acknowledged that the growth of the campaign was beginning to slow. For a while, it offered to donate 30 cents to its campaign for every new Twitter follower.
Invisible Children has been criticized this week for simplifying the issue of how continual fighting in Africa is affecting children, and for not giving enough of its donations in direct aid.
The Charity Navigator website gives Invisible Children three out of a possible four stars, noting that it has never undergone an independent audit and has revenues that are outstripping expenditures.
Invisible Children did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.