YouTube Has Removed Over 9,000 Channels Relating To The Ukraine War

Unlike some other platforms including Facebook and Instagram, YouTube has not been shut down in Russia. Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters 

The Guardian: YouTube removes more than 9,000 channels relating to Ukraine war  

Exclusive: Platform takes ‘unprecedented action’ to address content guideline violations since invasion 

YouTube has taken down more than 70,000 videos and 9,000 channels related to the war in Ukraine for violating content guidelines, including removal of videos that referred to the invasion as a “liberation mission”. 

The platform is hugely popular in Russia, where, unlike some of its US peers, it has not been shut down despite hosting content from opposition figures such as Alexei Navalny. 

YouTube has also been able to operate in Russia despite cracking down on pro-Kremlin content that has broken guidelines including its major violent events policy, which prohibits denying or trivialising the invasion. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Fortunately my favorite Russian YouTube channels are operating. But I think it is only a matter of time before the platform is shut down by Google/Alphabet or the Kremlin.

YouTube To Ban All Anti-Vaccine Content On Their Platform

Washington Post: YouTube is banning prominent anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content  

SAN FRANCISCO — YouTube is taking down several video channels associated with high-profile anti-vaccine activists including Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who experts say are partially responsible for helping seed the skepticism that’s contributed to slowing vaccination rates across the country. 

As part of a new set of policies aimed at cutting down on anti-vaccine content on the Google-owned site, YouTube will ban any videos that claim that commonly used vaccines approved by health authorities are ineffective or dangerous. 

The company previously blocked videos that made those claims about coronavirus vaccines, but not ones for other vaccines like those for measles or chickenpox. 

Read more ....  

Update #1: YouTube blocks all anti-vaccine content (Reuters)  

Update #2: Fighting wave of misinfo, YouTube bans false vaccine claims (AP)  

WNU Editor: While banning free speech on the issue of vaccines on their platform, YouTube wants free speech in Russia after banning RT's channels in Germany .... YouTube CEO Says Google Sees Free Speech as Core Value in Russia (Bloomberg). More here .... Russia threatens to block YouTube after it deleted RT’s German channels (Politico.eu).

YouTube Suspends Sky News Australia Channel For 7 Days Over Covid Reporting

Business Insider/Reuters: YouTube suspends Sky News Australia for a week after an apparent breach of the platform's COVID content policies 

* YouTube removed videos and issued a strike to Sky News Australia's channel, the tech platform said. 

* A YouTube spokesperson confirmed the move, saying: "We apply our policies equally for everyone." 

* Media outlets said the suspension followed a review of the broadcaster's COVID-related content. 

Sky News Australia said on Sunday it has been temporarily suspended by YouTube following the platform's review of content for compliance with its COVID-19 policies. 

"Sky News Australia acknowledges YouTube's right to enforce its policies and looks forward to continuing to publish its popular news and analysis content to its subscribers shortly," the broadcaster said in a statement on its website in relation to the suspension.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Instapundit makes a good point .... Sky News needs to put together a special unit investigating Google, YouTube and — especially — their top executives.  

More News On YouTube Suspending Sky News Australia Channel For 7 Days Over Covid Reporting

Sky News Australia has been suspended from YouTube following a review of old videos -- SKY News  

Sky News is BANNED from YouTube for 'posting Covid-denying videos' - after newspapers dumped Alan Jones' column 'over similar misinformation' -- Daily Mail

Sky News Australia given 1-week YouTube suspension after breaching COVID-19 misinformation policy -- ABC News Australia YouTube suspends Sky News Australia channel -- France 24  

Sky News Australia barred for week by YouTube over Covid misinformation -- BBC  

Sky News Australia suspended from YouTube for a week over Covid-19 misinformation -- CNN  

YouTube bans Sky News Australia for a week over alleged Covid misinformation -- RT

YouTube CEO Wins ‘Free Expression Award’ Sponsored By YouTube

 

RT: YouTube CEO wins ‘Free Expression Award’ sponsored by YouTube, then boasts how platform censors content creators 

Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of Google’s video platform YouTube, was awarded the Freedom Forum Institute’s ‘Free Expression Award’ on Friday in a ceremony sponsored by her own company – despite YouTube’s track record of censorship. 

In the digital awards ceremony, YouTube video creator Molly Burke praised Wojcicki as a free speech leader before the YouTube CEO detailed in her acceptance speech how much the platform censors its users. 

“The freedoms we have, we really can’t take for granted,” Wojcicki declared, adding that “we really have to make sure we’re protecting them in every way possible.” 

Wojcicki, however, went on to argue that “we also need to make sure there are limits,” and revealed that the company removed nine million videos in the last quarter, 90% of which were taken down by machines. 

Read more ....  

Update: YouTube CEO Wins 'Freedom Of Expression' Award Sponsored By... YouTube (Zero Hedge)  

WNU Editor: I just found this comment, and it sums up everything perfectly ..... 

.... The Ministry of Truth has awarded The Ministry of Truth an award for being the most truthful ministry. 

You just cannot make this stuff up.

Is YouTube Changing It's Policy On ‘Dislikes’ To Protect President Biden?

👍👎 In response to creator feedback around well-being and targeted dislike campaigns, we're testing a few new designs that don't show the public dislike count. If you're part of this small experiment, you might spot one of these designs in the coming weeks (example below!). pic.twitter.com/aemrIcnrbx

— YouTube (@YouTube) March 30, 2021

RT: ‘Protecting Biden from further embarrassment’: YouTube to hide ‘dislikes’ on videos as users ruthlessly downvote president 

YouTube has announced that it will temporarily hide how many ‘dislikes’ a video has received. The news went down poorly online, but President Joe Biden’s social media team might be happy with the change. 

At a glance, the number of thumbs down a YouTube video has received can tell a user to steer clear. The video could be boring or misleading, or the creator could say something so unpopular that thousands of viewers log in to downvote it to oblivion. Then again, mass downvoting campaigns have been launched against some users, and YouTube claims to have listened to these users’ pleas. 

Read more .... 

Update: 'More Censorship': Netizens Theorize Biden Administration Behind YouTube Removing Dislike Count (Sputnik) 

WNU Editor: You can still dislike videos of President Biden on the official White House YouTube channel. Will this be changed? I do not know. But it is comical to see that for every "like" President Biden receives, there are usually 20 or 30 dislikes (and more) on the same video.

Russian Government Asks Google To Lift Restrictions On YouTube Use Of National Anthem

 

Sputnik: Russian Media Watchdog Asks Google to Lift Restrictions on YouTube Use of National Anthem 

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor said Friday it had asked Google to lift restrictions on publishing videos with the Russian national anthem on YouTube. 

"YouTube blocking the Russian anthem is open and unacceptable insult to all the people of our country", the watchdog said. 

Roskomnadzor said that the anthem, like any other state symbols, could not be subject to copyright. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: There are a few videos of the Russian anthem on YouTube (like the one above). But it is true. I have noticed since last year a lot of Russian anthem videos taken off the platform.

YouTube Assisting Beijing In Censoring Critics By Deleting Comments That Insult China’s Communist Party

#YouTube "automatically" deletes a comment in Chinese, "Gongfei", which means "communist bandit", in 15 seconds.
This person tested 3 times, same result. #油管 15秒內自動刪除「共匪」留言，網友連試三次皆如此。
他們找了個比李飛飛更厲害的AI專家？ pic.twitter.com/MLCeko0SIY

— Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 (@jenniferatntd) May 13, 2020

Verge: YouTube is deleting comments with two phrases that insult China’s Communist Party

These Chinese language phrases are removed within seconds.

YouTube is automatically deleting comments that contain certain Chinese-language phrases related to criticism of the country’s ruling Communist Party (CCP). The company confirmed to The Verge this was happening in error and that it was looking into the issue.

“This appears to be an error in our enforcement systems and we are investigating,” said a YouTube spokesperson. The company did not elaborate on how or why this error came to be, but said it was not the result of any change in its moderation policy.

But if the deletions are the result of a simple mistake, then it’s one that’s gone unnoticed for six months. The Verge found evidence that comments were being deleted as early as October 2019, when the issue was raised on YouTube’s official help pages and multiple users confirmed that they had experienced the same problem.

Read more ....

WNU Editor:You have to wonder what else is being censored.

This Actuve-Duty US Navy Sailor Has Become A Popular YouTube Influencer

Business Insider: An active-duty US Navy sailor shared his experience on YouTube and has now become a popular influencer

* Austen Alexander is an active-duty sailor for the US Navy and a popular YouTube influencer with 135,000 subscribers.
* Alexander started sharing his story on Instagram, but after receiving too many questions to answer on the app, he decided to start a YouTube channel.
* Now his videos range from 10,000 to 3 million views, and he earns money through Google ads and sponsorships.

Austen Alexander never expected the pictures he posted on Instagram ⁠— of his life as an active-duty sailor for the US Navy ⁠— to launch an influencer career.

Now two years after starting to post, Alexander is a popular YouTube creator with 135,000 subscribers and millions of views.

"I always liked making videos, but I never really made it a priority until I started building my social media on Instagram, posting pictures here and there," Alexander told Business Insider. "When people started figuring out I was in the Navy, they had all kinds of questions wanting to know what my job was."

Alexander said he struggled to answer questions on Instagram, and decided to give YouTube a try.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: He is very good (his YouTube channel is here). I am surprised that the US Navy is permitting him to do it.

YouTube Shuts Down All Syrian Government Accounts

#Youtube shuts down all pro Syrian channels including, Sama TV, Syrian MoD, Sana news agency, Syrian presidency pic.twitter.com/D0LiPhdKmo

— H.K 🇸🇾 (@Ibra_Joudeh) September 8, 2018

Zero Hedge: YouTube Shuts Down All Syrian State Channels As Idlib Assault Begins

Syrian state YouTube channels have been shut down this morning just as the Syrian Army's ground offensive has officially begun.

This includes the following now terminated Syrian state and pro-government channels: Syrian Presidency, Syria MoD (Ministry of Defense), SANA, and Sama TV. This follows YouTube reportedly closing Syria's Ortas News last week.

It is unclear whether or not the action is part of a broader move among US social media companies to close "Iran-linked" accounts, or if directly connected to events now rapidly unfolding in Idlib.

A number of Syria observers say the account closures could be connected with potential US plans for military action in response to the Syria-Russian forces air and ground attack on Idlib.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I am surprised that Google permitted these sites to stay on as long as they did.

Active Shooter At YouTube's HQ In San Bruno, California

L.A. Times: Active shooting at YouTube headquarters brings huge police response

An active shooting at YouTube's headquarters in San Bruno sparked panic and a massive police response Tuesday.

Several YouTube employees sent tweets Tuesday afternoon saying employees were racing out of the company's Cherry Avenue offices shortly after 1 p.m.

At least two people were reportedly struck by gunfire according to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to speak publicly about the incident.

Witnesses in the area said they saw dozens of firefighters and police officers descending on the area. Other witnesses said they saw police holding rifles and other weapons.

Read more ....

Update: Active shooter at YouTube HQ in San Bruno (KRON)

WNU Editor: Know the area very well (my brother lives south in San Mateo). Chili's Grill and Bar is just down the street and I always go there when I am visiting my brother.

Russia May Block YouTube and Instagram As Early As Wednesday Unless They Agree To Remove 7 Videos And 14 Instagram Posts

Bloomberg: Sexy ‘Graft’ Video May Lead Russia to Block Instagram, YouTube

* Billionaire wins hometown court order to remove videos, posts
* Navalny accused Deripaska, deputy prime minister of corruption

Russia may block access to YouTube and Instagram after billionaire Oleg Deripaska won a court injunction against videos and photographs that showed him and Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Prikhodko relaxing on a yacht with a woman described as an escort.

Deripaska won an order from Ust-Labinsk court in his native Krasnodar region ordering the removal of 14 Instagram posts and seven YouTube videos that breached his right to privacy, according to a spokeswoman for his Basic Element company. Anti-Kremlin campaigner Alexey Navalny said the order also threatens to block his website after he published an online film alleging that the videos and photographs posted by the woman, who calls herself Nastya Rybka, showed evidence of a corrupt relationship between the aluminum tycoon and the senior minister.

Read more ....

Update: Russia may block YouTube and Instagram after ‘graft’ video with model, deputy PM and billionaire goes viral (SCMP)

WNU Editor: If Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska and Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Prikhodko are successful in blocking YouTube and Instagram in Russia .... they will have to qua-triple their security detail. The number of Russians that will be enraged by this act .... and only weeks away from Russia's Presidential election .... makes me shake my head. There is stupid .... and then there is real stupid. But this is one is a category of its own.

Update #2: The above video is what is causing this stink. It is long (25 minutes), but there is an English translation. And WOW!!!! .... after watching it I forgot how crazy Russians can be. No wonder Oleg Deripaska and Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Prikhodko want this video (and others) removed. But this Russian escort did not only produced videos .... she even wrote a book!!!! If you have the time .... watch the entire video ... for Russian watchers this is a must see.

Bottom line .... are millions of Russians now going to be denied using YouTube and Instagram because of these two idiots. Like I said. I forgot how crazy some Russians can be.

Hat tip to Fred for this link.

YouTube Closes North Korea's Video Channels

The Guardian: YouTube shuts down North Korean propaganda channels

Academics who use the channels to better understand the regime’s nuclear program are urging the company to reinstate them

YouTube has shut down two North Korean propaganda channels that academics use to monitor and assess the regime’s missile programs.

Stimmekoreas, the most popular YouTube channel on North Korea with more than 20,000 subscribers, and Uriminzokkiri, which had more than 18,000 subscribers, frequently posted of videos of state TV news clips and other footage, attracting millions of views.

On Friday they were terminated for violating YouTube’s community guidelines.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: These channels provide a valuable tool for those who are trying to have a better understanding on what is happening inside North Korea .... closing them down has just made their job more difficult. And as for fears that these videos may influence people's opinions .... I doubt it. You have to be brainwashed from the 1950s to believe this stuff.

More News On YouTube Closing Down North Korea's Video Channels

YouTube continues to terminate North Korea-related channels -- NK News
YouTube Shuts Down North Korea Propaganda Account -- Military.com/AFP
YouTube Removes North Korea Propaganda Channel -- VOA
YouTube cuts off access to a North Korean propaganda channel for 'violating community guidelines' -- NEWS.com.au
YouTube shuts down North Korea propaganda account -- International Business Times
Op-Ed: Academics protest You Tube's closure of North Korean channels -- Digital Journal

Are French Spies Responsible For Creating Mysterious YouTube Videos?

Are French Spies Creating Mysterious YouTube Videos? Bizarre 11-Second Shorts Could Be Encrypted Codes, Claim Conspiracy Theorists -- Daily Mail

* Unexplained clips appeared on Webdriver Torso's account in September
* Clips were posted for seven months, stopped three weeks ago but then started again today
* Each upload has 10 slides with blue and red rectangles of different shapes
* A BBC report has suggested the videos were likely uploaded in France
* Theorists claim it could be a modern-day equivalent of a numbers station used by spies during the Cold War

For seven months, a YouTube user posted a series of bizarre videos one after the other in quick succession before suddenly stopping.

Almost every clip on the Webdriver Torso channel lasts for 11 seconds and features ten slides, each one showing a blue and red rectangle of different sizes and shapes.

These were posted approximately every hour until three weeks ago, when they just stopped.

However, a new video has appeared today – causing conspiracy theorists to speculate on what the clips are.

Read more ....

More News On Reports That French Intelligence Is Responsible For Creating Mysterious YouTube Videos?

Webdriver Torso YouTube mystery clips' French connection -- BBC
Are French spies creating mysterious YouTube videos? -- Digital Trends
Is this espionage or an art project? -- Globe and Mail
Could This Mysterious 'Number Station' YouTube Account Be A Message Board For Spies? -- Huffington Post
The truth behind one YouTube account's 77,000 mysterious videos -- The Guardian

WNU Editor: Here are some more mysteries on the web .... Five of the Internet’s eeriest, unsolved mysteries -- Washington Post

YouTube Is Now Blocked In Turkey

Turkey Moves To Block YouTube Access After 'Audio Leak' -- BBC

Turkey has moved to block access to YouTube, a day after a court ordered the suspension of a ban on Twitter, which PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan backed.

The telecoms authority (TIB) said it had taken an "administrative measure" against the site but another report suggests that talks are under way.

Some users found access blocked while others could still use the site.

Earlier, what appeared to be a leaked audio recording of Turkish officials discussing Syria appeared on YouTube.

It relates to a discussion of possible military operations in Syria, which was apparently attended by Turkey's intelligence chief, its foreign minister and the deputy head of the armed forces.

Read more ....

More News On Reports That YouTube Is Now Blocked In Turkey

Turkey Blocks YouTube After Leak of Syria Incursion Planning -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Turkey blocks YouTube access amid audio ‘leak’: reports -- Washington Times
Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked -- AFP
YouTube Banned in Turkey -- NBC
Turkish telecoms authority blocks access to YouTube -- France 24
Turkey blocks YouTube in addition to Twitter -- RT
Turkey moves to block YouTube in addition to Twitter - reports -- Time
Turkey blocked YouTube over purported Syria leak - source -- Reuters
Google looking into reports that Turkey users unable to access YouTube -- Reuters
Turkey's Erdogan says leaking of Syria recording is "villainous" -- Reuters

YouTube's Impact On The Syrian Civil War

Savage Online Videos Fuel Syria’s Descent Into Madness -- Time

The video starts out like so many of the dozens coming out of the war in Syria every day, with the camera hovering over the body of a dead Syrian soldier. But the next frame makes it clear why this video, smuggled out of the city of Homs and into Lebanon with a rebel fighter, and obtained by TIME in April, is particularly shocking. In the video a man who is believed to be a rebel commander named Khalid al-Hamad, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Sakkar, bends over the government soldier, knife in hand. He has sliced through the soldier’s fatigues and is working the knife though the pale skin of the soldier’s torso. He has already cut out the man’s heart. The man then cuts another organ free and stands to face the camera, holding an organ in each hand. “I swear we will eat from your hearts and livers, you dogs of Bashar,” he says, referring to supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Off camera, a small crowd can be heard calling out “Allahu Akbar” — God is great. Then the man raises one of the bloodied organs to his lips and starts to tear off a chunk with his teeth.

Read more ....

My Comment: I have seen some horrible "shit" from Syria on YouTube and Live Leak .... but these videos are not the main reason for Syria's 'descent into madness'. Years of repression, sectarianism, tribal hatreds, .... these reasons (and more) is why Syria has descended into 'madness' that has cost tens of thousands of lives .... not because of some online videos.

Egypt Blocks YouTube For A Month

Egypt Court Bans YouTube Over Innocence Of Muslims Trailer -- The Guardian

Month-long suspension of website over anti-Muslim film a 'backwards step' for free speech, says human rights group.

YouTube has been temporarily banned in Egypt for carrrying an anti-Islamic documentary that triggered deadly riots across north Africa and the Middle East in September.

In what human rights activists have called a backwards step for internet freedom, Judge Hassouna Tawfiq ordered the government to block access to the video-sharing website for 30 days after the trailer for Innocence of Muslims sparked outrage.

Read more ....

Update: Egypt court orders YouTube to be blocked for a month for hosting anti-Islam film, 'Innocence of Muslims' -- New York Daily News/AP

My Comment: A bad sign on where Egypt is heading.

War Crimes Are Now The Norm In Syria (Graphic Video)

Syria Execution Video Shows Stabbing And Stoning Blamed On Assad Militia (GRAPHIC IMAGES) -- Huffington Post/Reuters

BEIRUT, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Internet video posted by Syrian rebels appears to show fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad stabbing two men to death and stoning them with concrete blocks in a summary execution lasting several minutes.

Assad's forces and rebels have both been accused of atrocities in Syria's 21-month-old uprising-turned-civil war. The United Nations says the authorities and their allied militia have been more culpable.

Read more ....

My Comment: YouTube is now the dumping ground for such videos. And while I do not expect Google to change it`s policies (in the short term) when it comes to posting these videos on YouTube, I do expect changes to occur as even more graphic videos in HD start to pop up.

YouTube Will Not Delete Israeli Kill Video Of Hamas Military Commander

YouTube Refuses to Yank Israeli Kill Video as Hamas Attacks Jerusalem -- Danger Room

YouTube is rejecting calls to take down a video showing the assassination of Hamas’ military leader, despite the video-sharing service’s apparent ban on “graphic or gratuitous violence.”

Israel launched its “Operation Pillars of Defense” on Wednesday by blowing up Ahmed al-Jabari as he was driving his car down the street in Gaza. Hours later, aerial footage of the kill shot was posted to YouTube — and instantly went viral, racking up nearly two million views.

Read more ....

My Comment: This YouTube video is actually tame when compared to some of the YouTube videos that I am seeing (right now) from the Syrian civil war.

The Impact Of YouTube On The Syrian Civil War

Antigovernment Syrian media activists set up an Internet satellite connection to upload photos and video of the destruction by government shelling and bombardment of areas controlled by the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Aleppo, Syria, on October 22. Scott Peterson/The Christian Science Monitor/Getty Images

Syria's YouTube 'War' Could Win The War -- Christian Science Monitor

Another failed ceasefire in Syria once again demands new ways to end the violence. Perhaps the truth-telling tactics of the opposition in YouTube videos can help hollow out the lies of the Assad regime so that his remaining support collapses.

Another failed United Nations-brokered truce in Syria over the weekend should now force the outside world to again ask: What can stop the violence?

More than 30,000 people have been killed in a conflict sparked 19 months ago when the military arrested 15 teenagers writing graffiti – “The people want the downfall of the regime” – that revealed an unspoken truth. Since then, peaceful protests have largely given way to a civil war that’s also spilling over Syria’s borders. Russia and the United States can’t agree on what to do, so little is done from the outside.

That leaves either more violence to resolve the conflict or something else. What might that something else be?

Read more ....

My Comment: The propaganda war is usually just as important as the one on the battlefield .... a fact that the Syrian regime is realizing everyday.

Update: A hidden eye on the Syrian conflict: Wael Salahudeen is among the artists who have risked arrest to secretly turn their lenses on the fight. -- L.A. Times

More Countries Are Blocking YouTube Over Anti-Islam Video

More Countries Push To Block YouTube Over Anti-Islam Video -- L.A. Times

As protests over an online video mocking the Islamic prophet continue to simmer in Pakistan, Indonesia and elsewhere, more countries are trying to keep it from being seen around the world.

Google has already stopped the film trailer from being viewed on YouTube in Egypt and Libya “given the very difficult situation” and has restricted it in Indonesia and India over concerns that it violates local laws. Malaysian news media reported that the video was also inaccessible there late Monday after government officials lodged similar complaints with the company about the amateurish video.

Read more ....

More News On Countries Blocking YouTube Over Anti-Islam Video

YouTube blocked in Saudi to stop anti-Islam film -- Houston Chronicle/AP
Pakistan, Bangladesh Block YouTube Amid Islam Film Protests -- Bloomberg Businessweek
YouTube selectively restricts access to anti-Islam film -- Daily Star
In Egypt, despite Google claims, anti-Islam film can be seen online -- Bikyamasr
Google Refuses to Censor Anti-Islam Film in America but Bars Access in Muslim Countries -- News Busters