Big tech’s censorship of “ungood” thought continues apace.
Google and YouTube announced a new policy Thursday prohibiting so-called climate deniers from monetizing content via ads or “creator payments,” Axios reports, adding the change represents “one of the most aggressive measures any major tech platform has taken to combat climate change misinformation.”
Content that contradicts “well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate change” is excluded now from Google’s ad revenue scheme, the tech group’s ads team explained in a statement.
“This includes content referring to climate change as a hoax or a scam,” the statement reads, “claims denying that long-term trends show the global climate is warming, and claims denying that greenhouse gas emissions or human activity contribute to climate change.”
As for the other climate-specific content, Axios notes, “Ads and monetization will still be allowed to run alongside other climate-related topics, like public debates on climate policy, impacts of climate change, and new research around the issue.”
Google said the change comes after a number of advertisers expressed frustration over their products appearing in or alongside “climate denialism” content.
“Advertisers simply don’t want their ads to appear next to this content,” the tech company said. “And publishers and creators don’t want ads promoting these claims to appear on their pages or videos.”
Yes, but who is to say what qualifies as “climate denier” content? Google believes it has the answer.
“We’ll look carefully at the context in which claims are made,” it said, “differentiating between content that states a false claim as fact, versus content that reports on or discusses that claim.”
The company continued, claiming it designed the new policy in coordination with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports.
For some of the largest and most powerful media groups in the world, the announcement should come as unwelcome news, as pointed out by conservative commentator Stephen Miller (the good one).
“Global warming: Why you should not worry,” reads the title to a video hosted by the Boston Globe.
CBS News posted a video several years ago titled, “Climate change a hoax?”
“Conversation with global warming skeptic Anthony Watts,” read the title to a video uploaded by PBS News.
Hosting these opposing viewpoints was a good thing, actually. It was a healthy thing. Every issue requires a minority report. But now these newsrooms have been told: “no more or else.” They’ve been told they can no longer challenge their audiences. Now, we will get nothing but whatever the approved “consensus” is at the moment. Bravo, Google. Your grip grows a little tighter.
Don’t be evil indeed.
