YouTube has been given a ban threat by Russia after the platform deleted two channels backed by the state over violations of the COVID misinformation guidelines.
The two German-language channels that were deleted by YouTube over their violations are RT DE and Der Fehlende Part. RT DE was first given a one-week suspension over its violation of misinformation guidelines, but the channel went on to post content that violates the guidelines on Der Fehlende Part.
YouTube recently announced that it would remove any content that contains vaccine misinformation. The new policy covers misinformation on all vaccines and not just COVID vaccines.
YouTube Gets Ban Threat From Russia
YouTube has received a ban threat from Russia because it deleted two state-backed channels for their COVID misinformation violations.
The two channels that have been removed by YouTube are RT DE and Der Fehlende Part.
According to a report by the BBC, Roskomnadzor, which is called the "Russian media watchdog" in the report, has accused the platform of censorship and "'demanded' that the channels be restored."
Per the BBC report, RT DE first received a warning due to its COVID misinformation violation and was suspended for a week. RT DE then went to defy the suspension by posting content that violated the same guidelines on another channel, Der Fehlende Part.
Both channels were eventually deleted by YouTube.
YouTube's Crackdown on Vaccine Misinformation
YouTube has started its crackdown on channels that spread vaccine misinformation on the platform.
According to a previous Tech Times report, the platform began taking down content that contains misinformation beginning September 28. The crackdown covers not only COVID vaccine misinformation, but information about other vaccines as well.
Matt Halprin, YouTube's vice president for trust and safety, said that the ban covers any video that suggests that vaccines have chronic health side effects, according to a report by Bloomberg.
Per the BBC report, "the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine being falsely attributed to causing autism, was one example of the types of content the new policy will cover which had previously been allowed."
Related Article: YouTube Cracks Down on COVID-19 Misinformation Deleting Over 1 Million 'Dangerous' Videos
Russia's History of Banning Websites and Platforms
YouTube's implementation of its new vaccine misinformation policy has caused Russia to threaten to ban the platform. However, this is not the first time that Russia has threatened to ban or even completely banned an online platform.
Early in September, Russia blocked a total of six virtual private networks (VPN) services, including ExpressVPN and NordVPN. SpaceX's Starlink internet has also been banned by the state early this year.
Both Wikipedia and Reddit have been banned on separate occasions in Russia before eventually being unbanned. Wikipedia was banned due to its page about Charas Hashish, which discussed how marijuana is prepared.
Reddit, on the other hand, was banned over a "Magic Mushroom" post.
Also Read: Russia Demands Apple And Google To Remove Blocked LinkedIn From Local App Stores
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Isabella James
