YouTube Bans New Videos Claiming US Election Fraud Following Criticism

YouTube has been hammered with criticism for continuing to host videos spreading misinformation aimed at undermining the results of the election.

Advertisement
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 10 December 2020 10:13 IST
Highlights
  • Google and Facebook temporarily stopped election-related advertisements
  • The move is in keeping with YouTube practice during previous US election
  • Trump still refuses to concede to Democrat Biden

Videos removed will include those with claims of software glitches affecting the outcome of the vote

YouTube on Wednesday banned new videos with bogus claims of election fraud, saying enough states have certified Joe Biden as the next US president to make it official.

Meanwhile, YouTube parent Google said it will lift a moratorium on election-related advertising on Thursday given the outcome in the US has been decided.

Google, as well as Facebook, temporarily stopped taking election-related advertisements to prevent being used to spread misinformation or confusion among US voters.

Advertisement

“To protect users, we regularly pause ads for a discrete period over unpredictable, 'sensitive' events when ads can be used to exploit the event or amplify misleading information," Google said in reply to an AFP inquiry.

Advertisement

"While we no longer consider this post-election period to be a sensitive event, we will continue to rigorously enforce our ads policies, which strictly prohibit demonstrably false information that could significantly undermine trust in elections or the democratic process."

Google-owned YouTube, however, has been hammered with criticism for continuing to host videos spreading misinformation aimed at undermining the results of the election.

Advertisement

The position changed on Wednesday with a ban being rolled out at the leading video-sharing platform.

A "safe harbour deadline" for the election passed on Tuesday, with enough states certifying election results to make former vice president Biden the winner, the platform said.

Advertisement

"Given that, we will start removing any piece of content uploaded today (or anytime after) that misleads people by alleging that widespread fraud or errors changed the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election," YouTube said in a blog post.

The move is in keeping with YouTube practice during previous US elections, according to YouTube.

Videos removed will include those with claims of software glitches or counting errors affecting the outcome of the vote.

"As always, news coverage and commentary on these issues can remain on our site if there's sufficient education, documentary, scientific or artistic context," YouTube said.

Only a small portion of YouTube viewing has been election-related content, with the bulk of that generated by authoritative news sources, according to the company.

The US Supreme Court dealt the latest blow Tuesday to Donald Trump's effort to overturn his election loss when it denied his allies' attempt to block the certification of votes in key state Pennsylvania.

More than a month since the November 3 election, Trump still refuses to concede to Democrat Biden, who has a seven million-vote lead, and continues to make baseless claims of fraud.

Facebook did not respond to a query about plans regarding is suspension of post-election political advertisements, which remained in effect.


Are Micromax In 1b, In Note 1 good enough to take the brand to the top in India?? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Further reading: YouTube, Google, US Elections 2020
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. OTT Releases This Week: Thamma, Mrs Deshpande, Raat Akeli Hai The Bansal Murders, and More
  2. Here's When the Realme 16 Pro Series Will Launch in India
  3. Samsung Announces Exynos 2600 as World's First 2nm Chipset
  4. Oppo Reno 15 Pro Mini Tipped to Launch as First Compact Reno Smartphone
  5. Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G Will Launch in India Soon: See Expected Features
  6. Instagram Will Now Restrict the Number of Hashtags You Can Use
  7. Google Will Now Let You Check AI-Generated Videos Directly in Gemini
  8. Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs Are About to Be Scarce
  9. Meta's New AI Models Could Challenge Google, OpenAI in Image and Video Generation
  10. Dreame's First Smartphone to Launch With These Specifications
  1. Meta Reportedly Building Three New Generative AI Models With Focus on Image and Video Generation
  2. Google Pixel Upgrade Program Launched in India With Assured Buyback of Pixel 10 Series Models
  3. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Targeting Mid-2027 Launch as Naughty Dog Orders Overtime: Report
  4. Apple's Foldable iPhone Shipments May Slip to 2027 Despite 2026 Launch, Analyst Says
  5. Realme 16 Pro Series India Launch Date Announced: See Expected Specifications, Features
  6. Google Brings SynthID-Powered Deepfake AI Video Detection Tool to Gemini App
  7. Dreame E1 Phone to Reportedly Debut With 108-Megapixel Camera and 5,000mAh Battery: Expected Specifications
  8. Oppo Pad Air 5 Launch Date, Colourways, Storage Options Revealed: See Expected Specifications, Features
  9. Raju Weds Rambai Now Streaming Online: What You Need to Know
  10. The Fifty OTT Release: When and Where to Watch This High-Stakes Reality Show Online?
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.