YouTube has a “three strikes” policy for violations.
YouTube said on Sunday that it had banned Sky News Australia from uploading new content for a week due to concerns about Covid-19 misinformation.
The move was made after censoring posts uploaded by a TV channel owned by Rupert Murdoch, which has a large presence online.
A YouTube statement said: “We have clarified and formulated a Covid-19 medical misinformation policy…to prevent the spread of Covid-19 misinformation that may cause real-world harm.”
The channel has 1.86 million YouTube subscribers. The channel is owned by a subsidiary of Murdoch News Corporation and has a conservative following outside of Australia.
Its posts, including those questioning the existence of a pandemic and vaccine efficacy, are widely shared on social media forums spreading virus and vaccine misinformation around the world.
The last upload on YouTube three days ago was a host who claimed that the blockade had failed and criticized the state authorities for extending the current stay-at-home order in Sydney.
Sky News confirmed the temporary ban, and a spokesperson stated that “we support extensive discussions and debates on a wide range of topics and opinions that are vital to any democracy.”
“We take our commitment to meeting editor and community expectations seriously.”
YouTube adopts a “three strikes” policy for violations. The first time led to a one-week suspension, the second strike within 90 days resulted in a two-week ban, and the third time meant permanent removal from the platform.
According to this policy, former US President Donald Trump was temporarily banned.
YouTube is owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
