
Google pulls 2,500 China-linked YouTube channels over disinformation on video-sharing platform
- Alphabet-owned Google says the channels were removed ‘as part of our ongoing investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to China’
- The channels generally posted ‘spammy, non-political content’, but a small subset touched on politics
The Alphabet-owned company said the channels were removed between April and June “as part of our ongoing investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to China”.
The channels generally posted “spammy, non-political content,” but a small subset touched on politics, the company said in a quarterly bulletin on disinformation operations.
YouTube deletes comments critical of China’s Communist Party
The Chinese Embassy in the US did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Beijing has in the past denied allegations of spreading disinformation.
Disinformation seeded by foreign actors has emerged as a burning concern for American politicians and technologists alike since the 2016 presidential election, when Russian government-linked actors pumped hundreds of thousands of deceptive messages into the social media ecosystem.
The bulletin also mentioned activity tied to other countries, including Iran and Russia.
