YouTube removed a video by the Republican National Committee on Friday of an interview with former President Donald Trump, claiming it violated the platform’s policy against elections misinformation.
RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel told The Washington Times that YouTube’s decision was just the latest example of “Big Tech’s chilling approach to censoring conservative opinion.”
“Silicon Valley oligarchs care more about advancing their political agenda and de-platforming their opponents than they do about free speech,” said Mrs. McDaniel. “This blatant censorship should concern every American: if they can silence a former President, they can silence any citizen who they view as stepping out of line.”
The video in question was a filmed 30-minute long interview Mr. Trump conducted with Mrs. McDaniel for the RNC’s “Real America” podcast. During the interview, Mr. Trump alleged that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged” and that there was “tremendous voter fraud.”
YouTube said the video was removed for violating the site’s “election integrity policy, which prohibits content that advances false claims that widespread fraud changed the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, such as claiming that the election was rigged.”
“Our policies apply to everyone, regardless of the uploader’s political views, and while we do allow content that provides additional context such as countervailing views, the video we removed from this channel did not provide sufficient context,” said Ivy Choi, a spokeswoman for the company.
This is not the first time that YouTube and other social media companies have censored or removed center-right voices. Twitter and Facebook infamously banned Mr. Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol for purportedly inciting violence with his election claims.
Critics say that the companies, however, are applying a different standard to conservative voices on social media, than those of prominent left-leaning elected officials and commentators.
YouTube, for instance, still has up numerous videos of failed Democratic candidates like Hillary Clinton and Stacey Abrams alleging their candidacies were thwarted by voter suppression or foreign interference.
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
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