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

Reading Time:1 minute

Alphabet-owned Google has deleted more than 2,500 YouTube channels tied to China as part of its effort to weed out disinformation on the video-sharing platform. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:47am, 6 Aug 2020Updated: 9:47am, 6 Aug 2020

Google says it has deleted more than 2,500 YouTube channels tied to China as part of its effort to weed out disinformation on the video-sharing platform.

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.

Google did not identify the specific channels and provided few other details, except to link the videos to similar activity spotted by Twitter and to a disinformation campaign identified in April by social media analytics company Graphika.

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.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x