Since the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine, YouTube has removed more than 70,000 videos related to military operations. As reported The Guardian, many videos were taken down due to violations of the Major Violent Events policy, which prohibits content creators from denying or oversimplifying events such as invasions. YouTube also blocked about 9,000 channels during the audit, including one linked to pro-Kremlin journalist Vladimir Solovyov. Some videos removed from YouTube called Russia’s attack on Ukraine a “liberation mission.”
“We have a policy on major violent events and that applies to things like major violent events denial, from the Holocaust to Sandy Hook.
The 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre. 20-year-old Adam Peter Lanza shot his mother at home, then went to school, where he killed 20 children of six and seven years of age, six adults and wounded two more people, after which he committed suicide.. And, of course, what is happening in Ukraine is a major violent event,” said Neil Mohan, director of product at YouTube.
The number of views of content on the topic of war has increased. In Ukraine alone, for example, news content about the Russian invasion has received more than 40 million views.
“It is a paramount responsibility to make sure that people who are looking for information about this event can get accurate, high-quality and reliable information on YouTube,” Mohan added.
YouTube alone has over 90 million users, making it the largest video-sharing platform in the country.
Earlier, YouTube began blocking channels associated with the pro-Kremlin outlets Russia Today and Sputnik across Europe. And later – the channels of Russian state media around the world. Facebook and Instagram are banned in Russia, and Twitter has been blocked by Roskomnadzor.
Google will ban ads on sites and YouTube channels that justify or deny the war in Ukraine
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