YouTube Blocks Anti-Vax Content! By James Reed
Should we be surprised at this? YouTube is blocking all anti-vaccine content, which is what one would expect given that vaccines are part of the new religious order of globalism, being a loyal medico-slave. Well, it does not matter at this late stage of the game, as people have other on-line options now, and for controversial political topics, they need to get off this site. YouTube still is of use. My nephew has a lousy maths lecturer who he cannot understand, and who cannot lecture for nuts. Thus my nephew goes onto YouTube to watch lectures on particular topics, by people who really know their stuff. So, YouTube has some point. Just forget about it in terms of politics. For the time, we are still much better off than in the pre-internet days of paper magazines and mail-out videos, but I see it going back to that as tyranny flourishes.
“YouTube will block all anti-vaccine content, moving beyond its ban on false information about the COVID vaccines to include content that contains misinformation about other approved vaccines, it said in a blog post on Wednesday.
Examples of content that won't be allowed on YouTube include claims that the flu vaccine causes infertility and that the MMR shot, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella, can cause autism, according to YouTube's policies.
The online video company owned by Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) is also banning channels associated with several prominent anti-vaccine activists including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Joseph Mercola, a YouTube spokesperson said.
A press email for Mercola's website said in a statement: "We are united across the world, we will not live in fear, we will stand together and restore our freedoms." Kennedy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The moves come as YouTube and other tech giants like Facebook Inc. (FB.O) and Twitter Inc. (TWTR.N) have been criticized for not doing enough to stop the spread of false health information on their sites.
But even as YouTube takes a tougher stance on misinformation, it faces backlash around the world. On Tuesday, Russian state-backed broadcaster RT's German-language channels were deleted from YouTube, as the company said the channels had breached its COVID-19 misinformation policy.
Russia on Wednesday called the move "unprecedented information aggression," and threatened to block YouTube.”
Russia though is fighting back against YouTube, and it is about time.
“Russia on Wednesday threatened to block YouTube and the Kremlin called for "zero tolerance" towards the video hosting giant after it removed Russian state-backed broadcaster RT's German-language channels from its site.
The online video company owned by Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) deleted Russian state-backed broadcaster RT's German-language channels on Tuesday, saying they had breached its COVID-19 misinformation policy. read more
On Wednesday YouTube said it would block all anti-vaccine content, moving beyond COVID-19 to include content that alleges vaccines cause chronic health effects or contains misinformation on the substances in vaccines. read more
Russia said it was considering retaliating against German media and also accused YouTube of "unprecedented information aggression" after the company's move against the RT channels.
The row creates a new line of tension in Russia's standoff with foreign tech giants and its long-running push to assert greater sovereignty over its segment of the internet.
Russian state communications regulator Roskomnadzor said it had written to Google and demanded that the YouTube restrictions on the RT channels be lifted. Russia could partially or fully restrict access to YouTube if it failed to comply, it added.
Google declined to comment on the matter.
'ZERO TOLERANCE'
Russia could impose measures to force YouTube to comply with its laws, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that the law appeared to have been broken in this case.
"There should certainly be zero tolerance for this kind of breaking of the law," he said.
Russia's foreign ministry said it would draw up "a proposal to develop and take retaliatory measures against the YouTube hosting service and the German media".
Vasily Piskarev, a lawmaker who heads a parliamentary commission to investigate foreign meddling, said Russia had grounds to take measures against Deutsche Welle, the TASS news agency reported.
Christian Mihr, executive director at Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Germany, said the threat of action against German journalists was "completely inappropriate".
Berlin denied an allegation by the Russian foreign ministry that YouTube's decision had been made with clear and tacit support from the German authorities and local media.
"It is a decision by YouTube, based on rules created by YouTube. It is not a measure (taken by) the German government or other official organisations," German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert told reporters.
Moscow has increased pressure on foreign tech firms in the past year, fining social media companies for failing to delete content Russia deems illegal and punitively slowing down the speed of Twitter (TWTR.N).
Separately on Wednesday, Russia fined Google 6.5 million roubles ($89,534), the latest in a series of small penalties for failing to delete content that Moscow deems illegal.
The Kremlin's critics say that mounting pressure on Google and Apple (AAPL.O)had pushed the media giants to remove an anti-government tactical voting app from their stores on the first day of a parliamentary election this month.”
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