Since Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February, YouTube has removed more than 70,000 videos of the conflict from the system. The company cites as a justification that the videos are intended to deny what happened or contain content intended to trivialize.
YouTube did not quash the enforcement action, but noted that it had suspended approximately 9,000 channels, one of which was affiliated with pro-Kremlin journalist Vladimir Solovyov. Some of the removed videos don’t follow YouTube’s guidelines as it describes the occupation as a “mission to liberate.”
YouTube’s chief product officer, Neal Mohan, said in a statement, “We have a policy against denial of major violence. And “Of course, what happened in Ukraine is a major act of violence. And under this policy we have removed the relevant videos from the system.”
This move highlights the critical role that services like YouTube play in preventing the spread of false information online. Russia only YouTube has more than 90 million users, making it the largest video-sharing platform in the country.The company’s actions against the movements of state-sponsored sponsored networks such as RT and Sputnik have had a dramatic impact on the ability of these organizations to spread the Kremlin’s message.
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