{"id":1764078,"date":"2022-12-06T06:07:04","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T11:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1764078"},"modified":"2022-12-06T07:03:27","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T12:03:27","slug":"google-pulls-thousands-of-youtube-channels-linked-to-brazil-russia-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/google-pulls-thousands-of-youtube-channels-linked-to-brazil-russia-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Pulls Thousands of YouTube Channels &#8220;Linked&#8221; to Brazil, Russia, China"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgoogle-pulls-thousands-of-youtube-channels-linked-to-brazil-russia-china%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1764078&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Google has removed thousands of YouTube channels \u201clinked to\u201d Brazil, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-russia\">Russia<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-china\">China<\/a> as part of its investigation into \u201ccoordinated influence operations,\u201d the tech giant\u2019s\u00a0Threat Analysis Group has said.<\/p>\n<p>In its Dec. 1 <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/threat-analysis-group\/tag-bulletin-q4-2022\/\">bulletin<\/a>, Google said it terminated the accounts on its platforms in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n<p>The company terminated 5,197 YouTube channels and 17 Blogger blogs as part of its ongoing investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to China.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese channels and blogs mostly uploaded spammy content in Chinese about music, entertainment, and lifestyle, while a very small subset uploaded content in Chinese and English about China and U.S. foreign affairs,\u201d Google, YouTube\u2019s parent company, stated in a blog post.\u00a0\u201cThese findings are consistent with our previous reports.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Meta Provided Leads for Russia-Linked Probe<\/h2>\n<p>Google also terminated 718 YouTube channels linked to alleged coordinated influence operations in Russia as part of a campaign connected to the Internet Research Agency (IRA).<\/p>\n<p>The channels were allegedly \u201csharing content in Russian that was supportive of Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin and critical of Ukraine and the West.\u201d Relations between Russia and the West have grown strained this year because of Moscow\u2019s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February.<\/p>\n<p>Eight\u00a0YouTube channels were pulled and two domains were also blocked from appearing\u00a0on Google News surfaces and Discover as part of the probe over links to Russia, Google said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4884108\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/11\/24\/Bolsonaro-GettyImages-1244406796-1200x797.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-medium wp-image-4884108\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Bolsonaro-GettyImages-1244406796-600x399-1.jpg\" alt=\"Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4884108\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Bolsonaro-GettyImages-1244406796-600x399-1.jpg\" alt=\"Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro makes a statement at Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on Nov. 1, 2022. (Evaristo Sa\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe [Russia-linked] campaign was sharing content in English that was about a variety of topics including British and global current events. We received leads from Meta that assisted us in this investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The California-based company also removed\u00a076 YouTube channels as part of its probe into \u201ccoordinated influence operations linked to Brazil.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The company said that included content in Brazilian Portuguese that was supportive of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently contesting the results of the October election after which\u00a0his left-wing\u00a0opponent, Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva, was declared the winner.<\/p>\n<p>Another 27 YouTube channels were terminated for coordinated influence operations linked to Russia because they shared content in Russian that was supportive of Russia and critical of Western Europe and Ukraine, the tech giant added.<\/p>\n<p>Thirty YouTube channels and five AdSense accounts also were removed after they were allegedly found to be connected to\u00a0a Russian consulting firm that was \u201csharing content in Russian that was supportive of Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin and critical of Ukraine, NATO, and the West.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile on Dec. 3, one YouTube channel \u201cChina Uncensored,\u201d known for its commentary on China\u2019s current affairs and being outspoken about the authoritarian leadership of the\u00a0Chinese Communist Party, reported that it had experienced censorship of its content on Google\u2019s video platform. The video affected was related to the recent mass protests against COVID-19 lockdowns in China.<\/p>\n<p>China Uncensored\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kcoZL53MBjI\">said<\/a> that YouTube had age-restricted its footage of protests across China that had been met with violent force by the CCP regime.<\/p>\n<p>The reasoning given by YouTube for the content removal was that\u00a0China Uncensored\u2019s content allegedly \u201cviolated community guidelines\u201d and action was taken to activate age-restriction in accordance with YouTube\u2019s \u201cviolent and graphic content policies.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4903151\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/12\/04\/Chinese-protest-1200x800.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-medium wp-image-4903151\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Chinese-protest-600x400-1.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese protest\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4903151\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Chinese-protest-600x400-1.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese protest\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> A person holding an umbrella with a slogan on it takes part in anti-CCP protests, amid China\u2019s \u201czero-COVID\u201d policy, near the Chinese Consulate in New York on Nov. 29, 2022. (David \u2018Dee\u2019 Delgado\/Reuters)<\/figure>\n<p>An appeal of the decision by the channel was met with a denial, with YouTube stating that this was issued in order to \u201ckeep the\u00a0YouTube community protected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>China Uncensored has criticized the platform for removing its content about the significant protests in China for \u201cviolent and graphic content\u201d while leaving other violent and graphic content such as \u201cGrand Theft Auto V: 6 Minutes of Running Over Pedestrians\u201d\u00a0open for all to see on the platform.<\/p>\n<p>Google officials didn\u2019t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.<\/p>\n<h2>Could Twitter Have Boosted Brazil\u2019s Left?<\/h2>\n<p>The Google bulletin also comes shortly after Twitter\u2019s new owner Elon Musk <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/musk-says-possible-that-twitter-gave-preference-to-leftists-during-brazil-election_4902096.html\">claimed<\/a> that employees at the social media platform may have given preference to\u00a0leftist candidates during the elections in Brazil in October.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot of concerning tweets about the recent Brazil election,\u201d Musk <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1598990820665065472\">wrote<\/a> on Twitter on Dec. 3 in response to questioning by one Twitter user about elections that may have been \u201chandled\u201d by\u00a0the company\u2019s previous management.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf those tweets are accurate, it\u2019s possible that Twitter personnel gave preference to left-wing candidates,\u201d the billionaire added, without providing more information or evidence regarding the matter.<\/p>\n<p>Both Lula and Bolsonaro were active on Twitter during their campaigns but some of\u00a0Bolsonaro\u2019s allies, including those elected to Congress such as Nikolas Ferreira,\u00a0Carla Zambelli, and\u00a0Gustavo Gayer, saw their accounts suspended after questioning the results of the election.<\/p>\n<p>Bolsonaro himself also had several Twitter posts related to\u00a0COVID-19 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2020\/3\/30\/21199845\/twitter-tweets-brazil-venezuela-presidents-covid-19-coronavirus-jair-bolsonaro-maduro\">removed<\/a> by the company, with Twitter stating that they contained false or misleading information about the virus.<\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-katabella-roberts\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/ttl7dayERL_WEB_KatabellaRoberts.jpg\" alt=\"Katabella Roberts\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Katabella Roberts is a news writer for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the United States, world, and business news.\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google has removed thousands of YouTube channels \u201clinked to\u201d Brazil, Russia, and\u00a0China as part of its investigation into \u201ccoordinated influence operations,\u201d the tech giant\u2019s\u00a0Threat Analysis Group has said.In its Dec.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1764081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1764078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1764078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1764078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1764078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1764081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1764078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1764078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1764078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}