Youtube removed Talkradio’s channel owned by News UK, leading to accusations by Big Tech of censorship
Youtube, which is owned by Google, has not yet disclosed why it has taken action, but has a policy on misinformation following Covid-19, which threatens three strikes
The tech giant has yet to respond to Press Gazette’s request for an explanation of why the channel was deleted and what process led to the action
Viewers attempting to access the Talkradio page on Tuesday morning may see the error message: “This account has been closed for violating Youtube’s community guidelines”
Talkradio, regulated by Ofcom and calling itself the “home of freedom of speech”, streamed a video feed live from its studios on its YouTube page and released certain programs and clips
A Talkradio spokesperson said: “We are urgently awaiting a detailed response from Google / Youtube on the nature of the violation that led to our channel being removed from its platform
“Talkradio is an Ofcom licensed and regulated broadcaster and has solid editorial controls in place to help smooth the debate
“We regularly survey government data and have controls in place, use verifiable sources, and allow careful selection of voices and opinions”
In September, Talkradios host and stand-up comedian Mark Dolan went viral on Friday for protesting against wearing face masks to stop the spread of Covid-19 by cutting up one live on the air
It is not yet clear whether this was one of the broadcaster’s “strikes” or what other content may have led to this action
Talkradio breakfast host Julia Hartley-Brewer asked Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove on her Tuesday morning whether he was in favor of “censoring” big tech companies against people who had “free and full debate” about government policy
Gove said, “I don’t believe in censorship. We have a free and fair press, and we have honored commentators and interviewers criticizing the government’s position, from Lord Sumption, a former Supreme Court Justice, to Peter Hitchens , respected columnist for Mail am Sonntag, and others, and it can stay with it for a long time
“I disagree with you, but I think it is important that your voices are heard and that a debate takes place”
Cabinet Minister Michael Gove tells Julia on talkRADIO that big tech companies shouldn’t censor those who question the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic: “It’s important that their voices are heard” @ JuliaHB1 | @michaelgove picTwittercom / j2skQCW8he
Hartley-Brewer later tweeted that no one on the station “has ever put a life at risk or worked against the NHS”
She added: “Freedom of speech, debating and questioning of policies that destroy lives, livelihoods and freedoms are a good thing”
Youtube’s Covid-19 Misinformation Policy, released in May, bans any content related to the pandemic that contradicts medical information issued by local authorities or the World Health Organization
This could include suspicious content that denies the effectiveness of official guidelines for physical distancing or self-isolation measures
The tech company warns that creators who violate the policy will receive a warning and remove the defective content It says that pages without previous violations will receive a warning with no penalty After that, they get three hits before their channel is shut down
The civil liberties campaign group, Big Brother Watch, called Youtube’s decision a “courageous censorship move that would make China proud”
Ofcom, which regulates television and radio content in the UK including talk radio, is also committed to addressing Covid-19 misinformation that could cause serious harm, including quick complaints about such content
No talk radio content about Covid-19 has been investigated by Ofcom, and the regulator has not made any decisions against the broadcaster this year
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “This was a choice for YouTube Like other UK broadcasters, Talkradio’s radio station falls under our broadcast code
“When we rate programs according to our rules, we take into account a broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression and the right of listeners to receive information and ideas”
News UK is currently preparing to launch its first television channel, which is also expected to be right-wing Fox News style in the US There will be competition from GB News, a proposed rival now led by Andrew Neil
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Isn’t this the perfect time for people, “All the People”, to regulate, censor and literally shut down “Big Tech”? Isn’t it time to take back control of our lives? Stop patronizing YouTube Stop patronizing Facebook Stop patronizing Twitter Stop using a platform spying on you Stop patronizing the financial institutions that support them Stop patronizing individual government / officials who are support the use of their platforms Leave your phone at home (at least occasionally) Leave your phone with your friend for a day or two (at least occasionally) Leave your laptop in different places from time to time and we’ll be with your precious “al -go-rith-ms “playing around To hell with them and their “al-go-rith-ms!
I THINK, SO I AM NOT “al-go-rith-m ESSEN!
Britain no longer has freedom of speech. No better than the dictatorships of China and North Korea. People have to stand up and make their voices heard, or it will be too late
TalkRadio
Weltnachrichten – GB – Talkradio Youtube channel deleted due to unspecified injury – Press Gazette
Source: https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/google-deletes-talkradio-youtube-channel-for-unspecified-violation-of-community-guidelines/