YouTube has suspended conservative outlet The Epoch Times‘ Hong Kong channel, a move that comes as social media platforms crack down on misinformation around the now-certified US election results.
The Chinese language outlet said in a Facebook post Tuesday that YouTube has issued a strike on the account, and that it is currently unable to upload new videos.
The Epoch Times said it is appealing the suspension and redirected followers to other YouTube channels run by the outlet. A new account by the same name was also created hours after the strike, and already has 11 videos as of Wednesday evening.
The Hong Kong channel has around 419,000 subscribers, although its videos do not typically attract more than 5,000 views. The Epoch Times‘ other YouTube pages, including a main global account and a channel hosted by a news anchor, remain active.
A far-right outlet that has been embraced by US President Donald Trump, The Epoch Times frequently peddles misinformation about vaccines, US election fraud and the origins of COVID-19.
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In the most recent video uploaded to the The Epoch Times Hong Kong channel before the suspension, called “Media exposes Antifa’s plans [to infiltrate] unrest at the US Capitol,” a commentator cites pro-Trump outlets like One America News Network, claiming that violent leftist elements turned a peaceful protest into a deadly riot.
It’s the second time that YouTube has barred the channel from uploading new content. The company also suspended the account on Nov. 5, two days after the US elections.
An spokesperson from The Epoch Times confirmed with Coconuts via Facebook message that the YouTube account has been suspended for two weeks.
YouTube said it cannot comment on individual cases, but linked a set of guidelines indicating that accounts in breach of the company’s policies will be barred from activity for one week if it is a first offence, and two weeks if it is the second.
The company issued a strike on US President Trump’s channel late Tuesday, which will remain in effect for one week—a relatively light-handed sanction compared to Twitter and Facebook, which have banned his account on grounds that he risks stoking further violence with his social media posts.
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