The re-election campaign of US President Joe Biden criticised YouTube's recent decision to cease monitoring false claims about election fraud in the 2020 race, deeming it "reckless" and warning of potential violence. Kevin Munoz, a spokesperson for Biden's campaign, expressed concern in a statement, stating that YouTube's decision could contribute to democratic decay and incite violence. The campaign urged YouTube to reconsider its policy.
Last Friday, YouTube announced that it would no longer remove content containing potentially false claims related to the 2020 US presidential elections and preceding periods. The platform acknowledged that while content removal had helped mitigate misinformation, it could also inadvertently limit political discourse.
Former President Donald Trump, Biden's opponent, repeatedly made baseless claims regarding widespread fraud in the election. Supporters of Trump attempted to challenge the election results through the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Munoz emphasised that YouTube's policy change does not negate the fact that Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election. He also pointed out the role played by social media companies in disseminating falsehoods during that time.
As a Democrat, Biden is running for re-election in 2024, while Trump, a Republican, is seeking his party's nomination for another opportunity to challenge Biden.
Meanwhile, YouTube is doing away with Stories, a feature for temporary posts, starting next month. According to the Google-owned video streaming giant, users won’t be able to post YouTube Stories starting June 26. The company aims to focus on other essential areas, like Shorts, Community posts, live videos, etc.
"Starting on June 26, 2023 the option to create a new YouTube Story will no longer be available. Stories that are already live on that date will expire seven days after they were originally shared," YouTube said in a blog post last month.
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