The Internet platform YouTube has decided to delete videos with allegations of large-scale election fraud in the US presidential election. The Google-owned company based in San Bruno, California, justified the move by claiming enough states have confirmed their election results, so that a clear election winner has been determined.
In addition, the “Safe Harbor” period expired on Tuesday, by which time legal disputes over the election result must be settled at the state level. “As a result, we will begin removing content that is uploaded today or at a later date that misleads people by claiming that widespread fraud or error changed the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election,” said the statement released on Wednesday.
As examples, YouTube cited videos in which it is alleged that voting machines or software had been manipulated to award votes to one of the two candidates that were actually intended for his competitor. However, news videos or comments are still allowed to be uploaded if there is sufficient “educational, documentary, scientific or artistic context.”
Critics accuse YouTube of censorship
The unsuccessful US President Donald Trump has been raising serious fraud allegations for weeks. He and his team were able to present examples of isolated manipulations, however, so far there is no evidence that could prove that there were large-scale inconsistencies in the vote that could change the outcome in the relevant states in Trump’s favor. YouTube was recently criticized for allowing misinformation about the election results to be spread. Critics, however, accuse the platform of operating censorship.
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