YouTube has announced that it will delete videos from its platform if they promote the idea that there is a correlation between the spread of the COVID-19 disease and 5G networks, according to Business Insider.
Ridiculous as it may seem, many people seem to believe that the new cellular network technology is influencing and aggravating the spread of the novel coronavirus, so much so that 5G masts have been burned down in parts of the UK. These acts have pushed the UK government to call on social networks to prevent the spread of false information regarding 5G and the virus, and it seems that YouTube is ready to respond.
YouTube has previously cracked down on videos that promote false cures or treatments for diseases, and it's doubling down on those policies for COVID-19. A spokeswoman told Business Insider:
"We have clear policies that prohibit videos promoting medically unsubstantiated methods to prevent the coronavirus in place of seeking medical treatment, and we quickly remove videos violating these policies when flagged to us(...)."
The company is also working to promote useful information about the outbreak, using data from the World Health Organization and the NHS in the UK.
However, as we've seen before, YouTube may allow certain "borderline" content that contains theories about 5G-related health issues, as long as they don't mention COVID-19. That content may still be demoted in order to be harder to find or monetize, but it won't be outright banned.
39 Comments - Add comment