YouTube is making waves with its plans to police election-related content. The tech giant aims to hunt down and snuff out what it terms “misinformation.” Sounds a lot like censoring free speech, doesn’t it?
In a blog post, YouTube’s management outlined its strategy for the upcoming European Union (EU) elections. It revealed plans to remove content and shut down channels that they consider to spread “disinformation” through its platform. They’re trusting a mix of human reviewers and machine learning technology to enforce these policies consistently. This decision appears to have been encouraged by the Meta Oversight Board, which has been nudging tech firms to engage in election censorship.
Will this move end up doing more harm than good? YouTube says it’s there to provide information about the EU elections. Yet, a significant section of their post is dedicated to detailing their censorship policies. They see themselves as guardians against hate speech, harassment, incitement to violence, and election-related misinformation. But let’s get real here: it’s important to decipher what is legitimate fact-checking and what hinders free speech, which undermines the democratic process.
To dig deeper, YouTube isn’t merely concerning itself with content on its own platform. It openly accepts its interest in curbing supposed election interference both on and off its virtual grounds. Its Intelligence Desk is said to have been at it for months, working to detect trends that could impact the EU elections. They’re even investing in artificial intelligence to quell free speech faster. What’s more concerning is their boastful admission of a record of censoring content before viewers even get a glimpse of it.
Their move echoes the Meta Oversight Board’s call for “stringent standards for elections worldwide” and dedicating resources to moderate content throughout election season. Consequently, YouTube joins the ranks of tech giants quashing free speech, as highlighted by MRC Free Speech America.
Censorship is not new on YouTube’s turf. They previously axed a Republican National Committee podcast featuring Donald Trump labeling the 2020 election as “rigged”. The question is – will they show similar bias for the 2024 EU elections?
The verdict? Conservatives have the right to be nervous. It’s high time that Big Tech, such as YouTube, is held accountable. They must reflect the principles of the First Amendment: transparency, clarity on the definition of hate speech, and providing a level playing field for conservatives. After all, freedom of speech should be upheld regardless of political affiliations. And if you’ve been on the receiving end of censorship, it is crucial to voice out and keep Big Tech accountable. It seems clear that the battle to protect our freedom of speech has just begun.
