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YouTube quietly drops some Covid censorship policies but banned channels havenโ€™t returned

After mass censoring its users, some COVID discussions are now allowed.

If youโ€™re tired of censorship and surveillance, subscribe to Reclaim The Net.

Over the last few months, YouTube has quietly removed or changed many of its COVID censorship rules which resulted in numerous videos and creators being censored throughout 2020 and 2021.

Collectively, these changes to YouTubeโ€™s โ€œCOVID-19 medical misinformationโ€ mean that users are now allowed to question or dispute whether the vaccines reduce the risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19, question or dispute the effectiveness of masks and social distancing, say that the symptoms and contagiousness of COVID-19 are equal to or less severe than the common cold or seasonal flu, and declare that the pandemic is over.

All prohibitions on statements about masks, social distancing, and self-isolation have been removed from YouTubeโ€™s โ€œCOVID-19 medical misinformationโ€ policy. Additionally, one ban on statements about vaccines has been removed from the policy and several of the rules related to vaccines have been changed.

Previously, YouTube banned claims that:

  • โ€œThe virus no longer exists or that the pandemic is overโ€
  • โ€œCOVID-19 vaccines are not effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19โ€
  • โ€œWearing a mask is dangerous or causes negative physical health effectsโ€
  • โ€œMasks do not play a role in preventing the contraction or transmissionโ€
  • โ€œWearing a mask causes oxygen levels to drop to dangerous levelsโ€
  • โ€œMasks cause lung cancer or brain damageโ€
  • โ€œWearing a mask gives you COVID-19โ€
  • โ€œContent that disputes the efficacy of local health authoritiesโ€™ or WHOโ€™s [World Health Organizationโ€™s] guidance on physical distancing or self-isolation measures to reduce transmission of COVID-19โ€
  • โ€œVideos alleging that social distancing and self-isolation are not effective in reducing the spread of the virusโ€

All of the rules banning these specific claims have now been removed from the policy.

The policyโ€™s previous ban on โ€œclaims that COVID-19 vaccines do not reduce risk of contracting COVID-19โ€ has been changed to a ban on โ€œclaims that COVID-19 vaccines do not reduce risk of serious illness or death.โ€

And the policyโ€™s previous ban on โ€œclaims that the symptoms, death rates, or contagiousness of COVID-19 are less severe or equally as severe as the common cold or seasonal fluโ€ has been changed to โ€œclaims that the death rate of COVID-19 is equal to or less than that of the common cold or seasonal flu.โ€

YouTube made these changes to its COVID-19 medical misinformation policy sometime between April 4, 2022 and May 18, 2022.

Before making these changes, YouTube removed more than a million videos for breaking its COVID-19 misinformation rules. Many high-profile figures, including Senator Rand Paul and Congressman Thomas Massie, were censored after questioning the effectiveness of masks or vaccines.

Not only did the tech giant censor these claims that itโ€™s now decided are allowed but it also regularly publicized its censorship of so-called COVID-19 misinformation. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki was pointing to the platformโ€™s COVID-19 censorship rules as recently as May 24 (after YouTube had quietly walked back many of its COVID censorship rules) at an event where she said โ€œthereโ€™ll always be work that we have to doโ€ to censor โ€œmisinformation.โ€

However, these changes that walk back much of the COVID-19 censorship were made quietly and have received little publicity. And many of those who were censored under the old rules still havenโ€™t had their channels or videos restored.

If youโ€™re tired of censorship and surveillance, subscribe to Reclaim The Net.

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