Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul announced he would quit YouTube on Monday. YouTube has previously removed videos from the senator because the platform said they contained misinformation.
However, in reality, it was only deemed such because the administrators at YouTube disagreed with what Paul was saying. Because of this censorship, Paul has decided to leave the platform “unless it is to criticize the platform or announce that viewers can see his content on Rumble.com.” This is an admirable step by Paul, and other politicians should follow suit.
“Today I begin my exodus from Big Tech, starting with the worst censor of all, YouTube,” Paul said in a press release. “As a libertarian leaning Senator, I think private companies have the right to ban me if they want to, however, those of us who believe that truth comes from disputation and that the marketplace of ideas is a prerequisite for innovation should shun the close-minded censors and take our ideas elsewhere, which is exactly what I’m doing.”
This is a vital step in combating Big Tech’s assault on the news. YouTube’s removal of Paul’s videos in the past is an example of this encroachment. The company previously removed some of his videos criticizing the efficacy of wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. YouTube categorized the video as misinformation despite Paul showing scientific data supporting his claim. Paul posted these videos in August 2021.
“Over the last year, YouTube has continued to wage its dangerous, anti-progress of science war against free speech, choosing to act in lockstep with government and ban videos posted by Dr. Paul that dared to contradict the government’s position,” the press release said. “These videos included conversations with journalists where he discussed the efficacy of masks, particularly cloth masks, and a video explaining the science behind why cloth masks don’t work.”
A study released in November by researchers from Yale and Stanford University, among others, appeared to vindicate Paul. The research demonstrated those who wore surgical masks only had 11% fewer cases than those who did not wear a mask, and there was only a 5% reduction in COVID-19 infections for those who wore cloth masks.
One can argue the merits over the 11% and 5% values. However, the study seemed to verify what Paul claimed in his videos back in August.
YouTube is not part of the government, so it can restrict whatever expression it wants. But why, then, should people interested in truth participate in a platform that suppresses it? Paul should be commended for quitting YouTube and saying so publicly.
