Big Tech has had this nasty habit recently of trying to eliminate the speech of those with whom they disagree. And somehow, nearly all the voices they crack down on happen to be on the Right.
This week, Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was the latest victim, and it wasn’t even his first time.
Paul posted a video on YouTube in which the senator was interviewed by Newsmax regarding the science behind wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. YouTube decided it did not like Paul’s answers, and “in the interests of safety,” the video was removed.
“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,” Paul said. “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.”
A YouTube spokesperson revealed that the video was removed because they felt it included misinformation: “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.”
The first thing that should alarm everyone is YouTube’s assertion that it does not permit videos that contradict the government’s guidance on COVID-19. The government’s guidance on COVID-19 has been contradictory, so how can YouTube be in a position to decide what’s true?
Besides, what Paul said is not at all outlandish. Michael Osterholm, Biden’s former pandemic adviser and a frequent purveyor of maximum panic about the coronavirus, said recently that the cloth masks that nearly everyone wears don’t work. There have been multiple studies (studies that have been approved and funded by the very government YouTube cites as its authority) that cast doubt upon the reliability of the efficacy of wearing masks.
Now, there have also been studies that suggest masks are effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19. But for YouTube to make the decision regarding contradictory scientific studies and government policies is, for lack of a better term, contradictory.
Paul is right to criticize YouTube’s aggressive action in censoring him. His leadership on this particular topic is something everyone should rally behind — especially in the middle of a pandemic. The senator has every right to challenge the science behind wearing masks, as the science is at least ever-changing and at worst entirely wrong. And the public has the right to hear a senator, especially one who is also a medical doctor, discuss his ideas and claims. Having one group declare what is or is not “true” and having said group restrict what millions of citizens can potentially see is totalitarian in nature.
“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 tweeted. This is particularly true, given how hyperpartisan politics has plagued the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When voices are suppressed, the truth becomes only what is heard, not necessarily what is true.
