YouTube is cracking down on anti-vaccine misinformation

[RobertMacie1979]

New York (CNN Business)YouTube will remove videos spreading misinformation about any approved vaccine, not only those aimed at preventing Covid-19, the company announced in a blog post Wednesday.

In a statement provided to CNN Business, YouTube also confirmed it would remove the channels of "several well-known vaccine misinformation spreaders" under the new policy, including one belonging to the Children's Health Defense Fund, a group affiliated with controversial anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Users who post misinformation about any "currently administered vaccines that are approved and confirmed to be safe and effective by local health authorities and the WHO" will have their videos taken down, and will be subject to YouTube's strike policy and could face removal, the company said in the blog post.

"This would include content that falsely says that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that substances in vaccines can track those who receive them," YouTube said, adding that the policy applies to specific immunizations like those for measles, as well as general statements about vaccines.

Kennedy pushed back on YouTube's decision, telling CNN Business in a statement: "There is no instance in history when censorship has been beneficial for either democracy or public health."
The Google (GOOGL)-owned platform previously introduced a policy prohibiting misinformation related to Covid-19 during the pandemic, including about treatment and prevention. That policy had already led to actions against some high-profile figures, including Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who was suspended for seven days in August for making false claims about the effectiveness of masks. (Paul criticized the decision by YouTube, and called the suspension a "badge of honor.")

 

[Sean]

Good. And Andrew Wakefield should be strung up by his balls.

 

[pointless]

i'd say it's good, but knowing youtube they'll manage to fuck it up somehow and i'll bet that they'll still be demonetizing anyone even using words like pandemic.

and knowing them they'll still only do it to small timers and let the big draws get away with absolute murder.

 

[RoryN]

i'd say it's good, but knowing youtube they'll manage to fuck it up somehow and i'll bet that they'll still be demonetizing anyone even using words like pandemic.

and knowing them they'll still only do it to small timers and let the big draws get away with absolute murder.

Yup. YouTube is terrible when it comes to how they implement content bans.

 

[toeskr]

New York (CNN Business)YouTube will remove videos spreading misinformation about any approved vaccine, not only those aimed at preventing Covid-19, the company announced in a blog post Wednesday.

In a statement provided to CNN Business, YouTube also confirmed it would remove the channels of "several well-known vaccine misinformation spreaders" under the new policy, including one belonging to the Children's Health Defense Fund, a group affiliated with controversial anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Users who post misinformation about any "currently administered vaccines that are approved and confirmed to be safe and effective by local health authorities and the WHO" will have their videos taken down, and will be subject to YouTube's strike policy and could face removal, the company said in the blog post.

"This would include content that falsely says that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that substances in vaccines can track those who receive them," YouTube said, adding that the policy applies to specific immunizations like those for measles, as well as general statements about vaccines.

Kennedy pushed back on YouTube's decision, telling CNN Business in a statement: "There is no instance in history when censorship has been beneficial for either democracy or public health."
The Google (GOOGL)-owned platform previously introduced a policy prohibiting misinformation related to Covid-19 during the pandemic, including about treatment and prevention. That policy had already led to actions against some high-profile figures, including Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who was suspended for seven days in August for making false claims about the effectiveness of masks. (Paul criticized the decision by YouTube, and called the suspension a "badge of honor.")

Credentials on the ones making these decisions please, mackiemack. I mean Macie.

 

[HockeyShark]

good.

 

[Champakian]

I don't do any of the Social Media crap, so I don't care.

On the other hand, I was not aware that the operators
of U-Boob were also people of the medical persuasion
with the education and experience to make such calls.

I suspect that they are driven more by Political Science.

 

[Champakian]

If any of you recall, the Left, in general
was pretty hostile to the "Trump" vaccine...

 

[toeskr]

If any of you recall, the Left, in general
was pretty hostile to the "Trump" vaccine...

Don't throw truth in their face.

 

[Richard_C]

Don't throw truth in their face.

Trigger alert!!

 

[Erosfan]

I don't do any of the Social Media crap, so I don't care.

On the other hand, I was not aware that the operators
of U-Boob were also people of the medical persuasion
with the education and experience to make such calls.

I suspect that they are driven more by Political Science.

I suspect you are correct.

 

[Erosfan]

Don't throw truth in their face.

That is a true statement!

 

[Erosfan]

Credentials on the ones making these decisions please, mackiemack. I mean Macie.

I second that motion.

 

[bobb_sledd]

I don't do any of the Social Media crap, so I don't care.

On the other hand, I was not aware that the operators
of U-Boob were also people of the medical persuasion
with the education and experience to make such calls.

I suspect that they are driven more by Political Science.

...therein lies the problem!

 

[Chernosoth]

Other video sites are starting to eat youtube's lunch. It's going the usual route of a huge corporation.

 

[Pairaclities]

The problem is that any comment that conflicts with the party line from the politicians with respect to vaccines or the gene therapy shots is deemed to be misinformation.
There is no room for debate on the social media channels anymore, their sole purpose is to pander to the government propaganda so that the laws don’t get changed with respect to content.
Right now they get a free pass on responsibility for posts.