For breaking the platform’s regulations, YouTube has taken down over 9,000 channels and 70,000 videos related to the Ukraine conflict. The Guardian reports that videos describing the conflict as a “quest for liberation” were removed, among other things.
There have been no updates on the cleanup. One of the channels, though, was clearly linked to pro-Kremlin writer Vladimir Solovyov. The Russian Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs’ channels were also momentarily shut down. “The Russian government or people acting on behalf of the Russian government provide a lot of the narrative,” stated YouTube CEO Neal Mohan.
According to YouTube, it has a protocol in place for huge, violent events. “That also extends to denial of events such as those in Ukraine,” Mohan said. “As a result, we’ve taken action based on the policy.”
The YouTube CEO reports that war-related videos have been seen 40 million times in Ukraine alone. According to him, the platform strives to ensure that consumers searching for information receive accurate results.
