Paul knocks YouTube for removing video he posted, points users to competitor

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday criticized YouTube for removing a video that he posted to his channel on the social media platform.

Paul’s office said YouTube took down a video of him being interviewed by a Newsmax journalist on the science behind wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The senator also posted a video, on YouTube, bashing the company.

“YouTube said the video violated their policy, because of my comments on masks, and they don’t allow videos that contradict government’s guidance on COVID. YouTube may be a private entity, but they’re acting like an arm of the government, censoring those who present an alternative view to the science deniers in Washington,” Paul said.

Censorship by YouTube is very dangerous as it stifles debate and promotes groupthink where the “truth” is defined by people with a political agenda. If you want uncensored news, go to https://t.co/AnJ7AheLaU. https://t.co/VBAYnRBB3A

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) August 3, 2021

When reached for comment, a YouTube spokesperson said: “We removed a video from Senator Paul’s channel for including claims that masks are ineffective in preventing the contraction or transmission of the virus, in accordance with our COVID-19 medical misinformation policies.”

“We enforce our policies consistently across the platform, regardless of speaker or political views, and we make exceptions for videos that have sufficient context,” the spokesperson added. “Thousands of videos are available on YouTube discussing mask mandates, the virus’ origin, and criticizing public health officials, including videos of Senator Paul.”

Paul on Tuesday also shared a link to Rumble.com, a YouTube competitor, that showed the video that had been removed.

“Censorship by YouTube is very dangerous as it stifles debate and promotes groupthink where the ‘truth’ is defined by people with a political agenda,” Paul said. “If you want uncensored news, go to Rumble.com.”

Paul has frequently clashed with public health experts like Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, over aspects of COVID-19 and the government’s response to the pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revised its guidance to recommend Americans wear masks indoors in high transmission areas, even if they’re vaccinated, due to the increasing spread of the COVID-19 delta variant.