Infowars channel removed from YouTube, facebook and Apple

Crown

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Joined
Sep 5, 2013
Messages
22,408
Reaction score
20,367
Channel Type
Guru


Each social media platform said Monday that it had removed content from Jones or InfoWars because it had violated their policies. The companies' moves shut down key distribution channels that had given the controversial media figure easy access to millions of internet users.

The most dramatic action came last, from YouTube, which is owned by Google (GOOGL). It removed many top channels associated with InfoWars, including The Alex Jones Channel, which had 2.4 million subscribers and videos that were viewed over 1.5 billion times.

"When users violate ... policies repeatedly, like our policies against hate speech and harassment or our terms prohibiting circumvention of our enforcement measures, we terminate their accounts," said a spokesperson for YouTube.

Some channels for some of InfoWars' top personalities were still on the platform, however.

InfoWars is notorious for spreading demonstrably false information and conspiracy theories on a host of issues. It has suggested that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, and that the September 11 terrorist attacks were an inside job orchestrated by the US government.

InfoWars did not respond to a request for comment.


Sources / more info / full articles:

https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/06/technology/facebook-infowars-alex-jones/index.html
and
https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/08/06/apple-facebook-spotify-youtube-remove-infowars-content/

__________________________

Is this a good thing or are these platforms trying to wrap us up in cotton wool?

Thoughts?
 
  • Like
Reactions: chottom

Conso1727

Pizza pasta mandolino videogiochi
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
3,373
Reaction score
2,404
Age
28
Location
Italy
Website
www.youtube.com
Channel Type
Reviewer
I am the kind of person that believes in "inner circles" and "corporates pulling strings", but I'm not a nutcase of the level of InfoWars and I don't think the removal of their content is the case of "higher powers hiding the truth from the masses", instead it removes potentiall well poisoners, even though I will miss the occasional memes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Crown

cbpayne

YTtalk Mad
Joined
Jan 1, 2018
Messages
321
Reaction score
113
This bit is interesting and cryptic:
"When users violate ... policies repeatedly, like our policies against hate speech and harassment or our terms prohibiting circumvention of our enforcement measures, we terminate their accounts," said a spokesperson for YouTube.
Hate speech and harassment is obvious; BUT, this: "our terms prohibiting circumvention of our enforcement measures" .... what was he up to?
 

markkaz

I Love YTtalk
Joined
Jan 31, 2013
Messages
6,893
Reaction score
4,443
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Channel Type
Youtuber
This bit is interesting and cryptic:

Hate speech and harassment is obvious; BUT, this: "our terms prohibiting circumvention of our enforcement measures" .... what was he up to?
Since he lost live streaming permission on his main channel, he was using his other channels to live stream the same content he was doing on his main channel.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chottom

KatyAdelson

I Love YTtalk
Staff member
Joined
Mar 13, 2015
Messages
7,166
Reaction score
6,855
Location
Colorado
Channel Type
Musician
I never liked the infowars guy, but I do think blocking them is a slippery slope. It's kind of like opening a backdoor to a whole lot of issues. I don't see very much wrong with skeptics pointing out things that seem suspicious so long as it doesn't turn into too much harassment (which I think it was turning into harassment in the InfoWars case...so...). But seeing that conspiracy theories (or, "alternative facts," as Kellyanne Conway put it LOL) can be shut down by social media giants is a little scary. It's a bit extreme, but can the future social media world try to dictate our opinions and what we think by blocking all the things they don't like?

Everyone has different perspectives about things. Sometimes it's an interesting perspective to consider, other times it's garbage. :/ That's the Internet. "Don't believe everything you read on the Internet." - Thomas Jefferson :)
 

Divine Authority

I've Got It
Joined
Jun 16, 2018
Messages
171
Reaction score
63
Location
Singapore
Channel Type
Gamer
It such a shame, even though I don't watch Alex Jones channel, I watch his other partner Paul Joseph Watson videos. It sadden to see that they block his channel as if freedom of speech on internet is limited every year. People can't handle the truth and get so butthurt when they got exposed of something they don't admit of doing so.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BamaGuyRTR

Cephus

Posting Mad!
Joined
Mar 7, 2018
Messages
416
Reaction score
239
Age
57
Location
Southern California
Channel Type
Youtuber
Now I don't like Alex Jones, never watched his content, but it's now a problem that he pointed out the censorship that YouTube, Facebook and other Silicon Valley tech giants are engaged in, then they all deleted his accounts ON THE SAME DAY. Because there's no organized censorship or anything, right?
 

Farley Productions

Pursuing the Arts one step at a time.
Joined
Apr 17, 2017
Messages
740
Reaction score
363
Age
30
Channel Type
Director
If they really were responsible for saying those things then I say Youtube is in the right for removing their channels. It's what happens when you violate the policies and terms of service. I don't feel bad for them at all. Did anyone here really watch them to their hearts content anyways? Don't think so.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chottom