Disinfo: YouTube blocked RT German-language channels with the backing of the German government

Summary

There is no doubt that YouTube has removed RT's German-language channels with the backing of the German government.

The removal constitutes an act of information aggression on the part of YouTube.

Disproof

The claim frames Youtube's actions as motivated by censorship and anti-Russian sentiment, without ever mentioning the official reason why the two channels were disabled.

YouTube had issued a warning to RT, which is funded by the Russian state, for disseminating falsehoods about the coronavirus pandemic. It received a warning and was temporarily blocked for 7 days from uploading new content to the video-sharing platform. This decision was taken in accordance with YouTube's policy of tackling "COVID-19 misinformation," as laid out here.

RT DE then tried to circumvent the ban by uploading new videos to its second channel, "Der fehlende Part" ("The Missing Part"). YouTube then responded by deleting both German-language RT channels, as it is a violation of Youtube terms of services.

The German government was not involved in blocking Russian state-backed broadcaster RT’s German-language channels on YouTube. “It is a decision by YouTube, based on rules created by YouTube, it is not a measure (taken by) the German government or other official organisations,” German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert stated. He said anyone claiming otherwise was fabricating a conspiracy theory.

See here for further debunking by The Insider (in Russian).

See also Three things you should know about RT and Sputnik.

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sputniknews.com (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 261
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 30/09/2021
  • Article language(s) English
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Germany, Russia
  • Keywords: YouTube, Censorship, Information war, Media, Freedom of speech, Russophobia, Anti-Russian, Russia Today (RT), RT
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Disinfo: RT DE was removed from YouTube with the explicit and covert collaboration of the German authorities

The accounts of two RT Group media operators - 'RT DE' and 'the Missing Part' - have been deleted without the right to recover. [...] There is no doubt that such unauthorised actions against the media project were done with the explicit and covert collaboration of the German authorities and local media, which unhesitatingly and almost openly subjected correspondents of Russian channels to years of harassment.

Sep 29, 2021
Disproof

The claim frames YouTube's actions as motivated by censorship and anti-Russian sentiment, without ever mentioning the official reason why the two channels were disabled.

YouTube had issued a warning to RT, which is funded by the Russian state, for disseminating falsehoods about the coronavirus pandemic. It received a warning and was temporarily blocked for 7 days from uploading new content to the video-sharing platform. This decision was taken in accordance with YouTube's policy of tackling "COVID-19 misinformation," as laid out here.

Disinfo: Polish, Ukrainian spy agencies use mentally unstable Belarusians for terrorist attacks

Polish and Ukrainian secret services were searching for mentality unstable people and luring them into destructive sects in order to prepare them for different forms of anti-state terror.

Sep 29, 2021
Disproof

Disinformation about Belarus and secret services.

This is an unsubstantiated claim. There is no evidence that Polish or Ukrainian secret services employ mentally unstable people in Belarus for terrorist attacks against the state.

Disinfo: Crimea rejoined Russia as a result of a popular referendum

Crimea became a Russian territory following the March 2014 referendum, in which a majority of the peninsula's inhabitants voted in favour of rejoining Russia.

Sep 29, 2021
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the illegal annexation of Crimea.

No international body recognises the so-called referendum, announced on 27 February and held less than three weeks later. On 27 March 2014, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in which it stated that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. On 17 December 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea.