Google terminated 7,700 “inauthentic” YouTube channels linked to the Chinese state in the second quarter of the year, according to a Google bulletin on Monday.
Most were removed as part of their investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to Beijing. The “inauthentic network uploaded content in Chinese and English about China and US foreign affairs,” according to Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG).
Google also removed four channels in April linked to Chinese campaigns critical of the Philippines: “The campaign was sharing content in English and Chinese that was supportive of China and critical of the Philippines,” said TAG.
Over 3,000 other channels linked to operations in Russia, Türkiye, Romania, Azerbaijan, Israel, and Ghana were also removed.
In the first quarter of the year, Google removed over 15,800 Chinese YouTube channels and blocked 28 domains linked to China from appearing on Google News and Discover – the personalised content feed within Google’s app and on mobile.
Google previously terminated John Lee’s YouTube channel in 2022, which he was using as part of his campaign for Hong Kong’s one-horse leadership race. The tech giant cited applicable US sanctions and related policies under its own terms.
TAG routinely terminates YouTube channels in an effort to counter government-backed disinformation.
