You might have heard something about it? The news that "the Biden administration is censoring YouTube videos." Recently, Republicans in the U.S. have been making that claim, but it turns out that might not be the whole story...💭
What Actually Happened?
To put it simply, a lawyer from Alphabet (Google's parent company, which owns YouTube) claimed that "the Biden administration is trying to exert influence over YouTube to control video publication."
However, when about 20 actual YouTube employees were interviewed to verify this, they didn't really mention anything like that✨
What Are the Employees Saying?
The interviewed employees said they haven't received direct "censorship" instructions from the government in their daily work.
Of course, YouTube manages videos according to laws and regulations, and they might sometimes feel political pressure, but there doesn't seem to be strong evidence that a specific administration ordered videos to be taken down😮💨
Why Did This Story Come Up?
Political claims and influence issues are often murky topics online, so:
- Some people feel like "we're being censored!"
- Companies sometimes strengthen their claims for self-defense
That's why the stories that make the news can be pretty complex🧠
In a Nutshell...
- Republicans claim "The Biden administration is censoring YouTube!"
- Alphabet's lawyers echo this view
- But YouTube's frontline employees seem to think "it's not that simple"
- In reality, there doesn't appear to be much evidence of the government directly ordering YouTube to censor content
It makes you think... political and internet matters can be hard to understand just from what you hear💡
But it feels important to know that the voices from the front lines are being heard🥺
Bonus: An Interesting Little Story
When you imagine YouTube employees responding with "Haven't heard anything about censorship~" to this situation, it's somehow reassuring...🤔
The behind-the-scenes of the internet is more complicated than you'd think, but it turns out the frontline workers are just doing their jobs normally🌸
Looking a bit deeper into what's behind the news might lead to some interesting discoveries👍✨
Hatena
Comments
グレース
Even if this allegation were 100 times more true, it wouldn't come close to Trump's media manipulation and censorship.
ハンナ
The corporate bootlicking for MAGA believers is accelerating like crazy. It's already over.
ジョージ
What's interesting is that YouTube refused using First Amendment rights and the Biden administration backed off, but now Trump is demanding worship like a god.
ロバート
If lies are getting people killed, it's fine for the president to ask companies to take action, but threatening them and taking bribes is the worst.
クリス
The Biden administration tried to remove COVID misinformation to save lives, while Trump is trying to hide truths that are inconvenient for him. Completely different stories.
ワット
Spreading false information during a pandemic should be considered criminal, but that's just my opinion.
クロエ
If bird flu hits, it'll be terrible. I started a new job and I'm seriously preparing. Can't really count on federal or state governments.
リリー
Back in the day, smallpox had a 30% fatality rate and they just quarantined and delivered food.
サム
Bird flu spreads explosively and many people oppose quarantine and vaccines. If deaths pile up, things will get really bad and riots will probably break out.
サラ
Rumor has it the Biden side just sent YouTube video links asking 'Isn't this vaccine misinformation?'
ノーラン
Meanwhile Trump is threatening companies, scaring them and filing lawsuits left and right.
サム
This double standard is insane!
グレース
People make a huge deal about Biden trying to curb COVID misinformation, but Trump was the one actually spreading misinformation himself.
ノーラン
So Republicans were wrong? Either they intentionally spread lies or actually believed them.
ベン
Seriously, who predicted this turn of events?
ハンナ
The big shots are bowing too low to the government and it's honestly disgusting.
ノーラン
I hope the next administration uses antitrust laws to crush these guys.
グレース
Even if Biden turned YouTube into propaganda, wouldn't that be acceptable? It's weird that only Trump gets penalized.
ロバート
No employees are getting fired for perjury.
エマ
So what do you say about what Trump did?
クリス
Before starting with false accusations, everyone should get their stories straight.
