YouTube to crack down on channels that spread voter fraud claims & misinformation
In response to an influx of misinformation surrounding the 2020 USA Elections, YouTube has announced intention to suspend channels promoting unfounded voter fraud.
With the hefty fallout surrounding President Donald Trump’s #StopTheSteal rally and the following mob riot attack on the United States Capitol Building immediately following, tech companies are finally stepping up to do what they arguably should have done all along and crack down on misinformation regarding matters as important as the 2020 US Election. YouTube is the latest group to make a move, recently announcing that the platform will begin suspending channels that spread claims of 2020 US Election voter fraud and misinformation.
YouTube announced its new efforts to combat voter fraud misinformation in a statement on its YouTubeInsider Twitter released on Thursday, January 7, 2021. Its new policies come in direct relation to the January 6 incident in which Trump parroted misinformation that stoked his supporters into a mob that attacked the Capitol Building.
“Due to the disturbing events that transpired yesterday, and given that the election results have now been certified, starting today any channels posting new videos with false claims in violation of our policies will now receive a strike,” the statement reads.
1. Due to the disturbing events that transpired yesterday, and given that the election results have now been certified, starting today *any* channels posting new videos with false claims in violation of our policies will now receive a strike. https://t.co/aq3AVugzL7
— YouTubeInsider (@YouTubeInsider) January 7, 2021
YouTube continues in stating that the overall flow of voter fraud misinformation, perpetuated in part by Donald Trump and his own YouTube channel, has been rampant and will not be tolerated any longer. Those with previously uploaded offending content in violation of the policies will have content removed without penalty. Following that, any new videos will follow a three-strike rule across a 90-day period. Under these rules, first and second strikes will mean temporary suspension. A third and final strike regarding offending content in the 90-day window will be grounds for permanent channel removal.
With Facebook and Instagram moving to ban Donald Trump up until the transfer of power over to President-Elect Joe Biden and Twitter giving a final warning to Trump over violence-inciting tweets, threatening permanent suspension thereafter, it would appear that the sitting President is backed entirely into a corner across all forms of social media and content. Moreover, it seems those who have been capitalizing off of the ongoing vitriolic misinformation are set for a fall on YouTube if issues continue. Stay tuned as we continue to follow these stories.
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replyTJ Denzer posted a new article, YouTube to crack down on channels that spread voter fraud claims & misinformation
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