Videos that contain misinformation about upcoming COVID-19 vaccines will not be allowed on YouTube.
On Wednesday, YouTube announced the change to head off baseless accusations about the vaccines, which could discourage the public from taking the medical treatments. Specifically, videos that claim a vaccine will “kill people or cause infertility” or result in vaccine-takers getting microchipped will all be removed.
“A COVID-19 vaccine may be imminent, therefore we’re ensuring we have the right policies in place to be able to remove misinformation related to a COVID-19 vaccine from the platform,” YouTube said in a statement.
In general, the Google-owned platform is going to crack down on COVID-19 vaccine claims “that contradict expert consensus from local health authorities or the World Health Organization.” In addition, videos that come close to violating the rules, but don’t cross the line, will nevertheless get down-ranked over YouTube, making the content harder to find.
The changes arrive as an update to YouTube’s existing policy banning harmful COVID-19 misinformation, such as claims the virus doesn’t exist or that prayer can cure people if they’ve become infected. YouTubers who violate the policy three times will get their channels terminated. User-generated comments that break the rules will also get deleted.
“To date, we have removed over 200 thousand videos related to dangerous or misleading COVID-19 information since early February,” YouTube said in a statement. At the same time, YouTube has been trying to elevate COVID-19 content from authoritative sources in an attempt to direct viewers to credible information about the pandemic.
Still, the updated policy is bound to be tested in the coming months as scrutiny of COVID-19 vaccines intensifies, and debates about their safety and effectiveness flare up. As a result, efforts to stamp out the misinformation may come off as censorship to some viewers at a time when the pandemic has already been politicized.
Along with YouTube, Facebook has also begun banning ads that discourage people from taking vaccines. However, the company doesn’t want to silence discussion on the topic completely, and will allow ads that oppose government policies on vaccines, including a COVID-19 vaccine.