"...noted relevant comments regarding censorship that YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki had recently made.
"Anything that would go against World Health Organization recommendations would be a violation of our policy ... [removal] is another really important part of of our policy," Wojcicki reportedly said."
I think this underscores why I'm so uncomfortable with YouTube doing censorship (or anyone doing it). The official narrative is not always right.
In fact anytime we have a new discovery in science it starts out in contrary to the official accepted explanation and only gradually and often grudgingly gains acceptance over time. If you silence dissenting voices you also silence progress. Which is maybe why China struggles to innovate compared to the West.
WHO is still lying, CDC has done a 180 and now recommends masks. So I suppose we should expect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPx1yqvJgf4 to get taken down anytime now.
Cry wolf when this actually happens. I try not to be dismissive, but the repeated harping about masks strikes me as a lack of original thought at best and a coordinated smear campaign at face value.
We get it: the WHO should've recommended masks full-throatedly. But your interpretation that a YouTube policy will be applied maliciously without any justification for why doesn't convince me.
I don't like censorship. It's dangerous. It's the tool of choice of authoritarians everywhere. Free speech, even of opinions we find distasteful or downright ugly, is still worth upholding.
Look at deplatforming of people like Steven Pinker or Jordan Peterson to see how actually quite moderate, well reasoned, well spoken people are getting censored. That's a disturbing trend.
Now it can of course still be that the WHO reasoning will at a later time be officially quoted for the removal of this video, but that is pure speculation. And also it would be a huge stretch. There is no official reason given for the removal.
Sounds like YouTube is blindly following the WHO. I am so sick of big tech and all the censorship, privacy invasion, etc. Wish there was more alternatives but everyone will flock to what’s popular...
Wish I had the resources to start alternatives, maybe headquarters in Texas where I bet they have a more freedom mindset compared to all the Californian tech companies that’s just a bunch of followers instead of leaders.
Seems all the stuff they preach about connecting the world, accessing all the worlds information and diversity is just some sort of double speak. Like censoring Alex Jones, sure people disagree with him maybe Just some things or even everything he says but if you don’t agree with him, don’t watch his channel, don’t follow him. This whole deplatformig thing is like something from 1984.
I enjoy using YouTube for tech talks, tutorials, following vloggers but a lot of stuff about YouTube is disappointment... and then don’t even get me started mentioning all the automated copyright stuff that doesn’t even consider fair use or is abused.
that guy should be in jail.
Alex Jones was successfully sued because of his videos and repeatedly warned. YouTube like any business has a right to legally protect themselves. If YT continues to host Jones's content they could be held legally liable. I'm no fan of YouTube but they're clearly in the right in Alex Jones's case.
I never really watched his full shows which is a few hours daily I think. Don't really have the attention span to listen to all the people who call in and stuff. I seen just clips and hilights here and there. He recently built a new website which is sorta like his own little private YouTube.
I'd imagine YouTube would be covered under Section 230 immunity would cover them.
Personally I think as long as something isn't illegal, let them publish it... However I bet if you had that policy your hosting company would shut you down unless you owned your own datacenter and peering agreements...
But I heard on YouTube you can't even say the C word right now without the algorithm messing with your videos... Like some travel vlogger was talking about how it disrupted his travel plans, so he called it the current unicorn instead. Not some conspiracy theory video either, just telling his true story. So I think YouTube is going overboard right now with their censorship... and more and more censorship, people start censoring themselves and are scared to speak out about things... I think this is a dangerous and dark path we're going down - regardless if people think there's some conspiracy with a global elite or deep state or whatever you want to call it is apart of it or not...