Washington Post: YouTube is banning prominent anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content
SAN FRANCISCO — YouTube is taking down several video channels associated with high-profile anti-vaccine activists including Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who experts say are partially responsible for helping seed the skepticism that’s contributed to slowing vaccination rates across the country.
As part of a new set of policies aimed at cutting down on anti-vaccine content on the Google-owned site, YouTube will ban any videos that claim that commonly used vaccines approved by health authorities are ineffective or dangerous.
The company previously blocked videos that made those claims about coronavirus vaccines, but not ones for other vaccines like those for measles or chickenpox.
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Update #1: YouTube blocks all anti-vaccine content (Reuters)
Update #2: Fighting wave of misinfo, YouTube bans false vaccine claims (AP)
WNU Editor: While banning free speech on the issue of vaccines on their platform, YouTube wants free speech in Russia after banning RT's channels in Germany .... YouTube CEO Says Google Sees Free Speech as Core Value in Russia (Bloomberg). More here .... Russia threatens to block YouTube after it deleted RT’s German channels (Politico.eu).