Editor’s Note: The links in this article citing the allegations against the various COVID-19 vaccines are not an endorsement of those allegations.
YouTube have announced they will penalize and ban accounts that spread “misinformation” about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The announcement on “Managing harmful vaccine content on YouTube” explains that they have already removed 130,000 videos for violating their policies over the vaccine last year. Now, YouTube are “expanding our medical misinformation policies” with new guidelines targeting claims made against the vaccine.
While stating “scientific understanding evolves as new research emerges, and firsthand, personal experience regularly plays a powerful role in online discourse;” YouTube also state that fierce debate has occurred over vaccines “despite consistent guidance from health authorities about their effectiveness.”
The community guidelines already forbid medical misinformation (such as harmful remedies including drinking turpentine), and the aforementioned 130,000 videos were removed with ten policies written when the pandemic began- crafted with experts. Over time, YouTube state they learned “important lessons about how to design and enforce nuanced medical misinformation policies at scale.”
While attempting to “balance our commitment to an open platform with the need to remove egregious harmful content,” YouTube state they are “now at a point where it’s more important than ever to expand the work we started with COVID-19 to other vaccines.”
The new guidelines will remove videos and content that “falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines […] content that falsely says that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that substances in vaccines can track those who receive them.”
This will apply to COVID-19 vaccinations, routine immunizations for measles and Hepatitis B, and general statements about vaccines. The new policies once again were crafted with consultation from “local and international health organizations and experts.” “For example, our new guidance on vaccine side effects maps to public vaccine resources provided by health authorities and backed by medical consensus.”
Exceptions are given for “the importance of public discussion and debate to the scientific process.” This means content can still be made about vaccine policies, new vaccine trials, and historical vaccine successes or failures. Personal testimonials are also stated to be permitted, providing they do not violate other terms, and that the channel “doesn’t show a pattern of promoting vaccine hesitancy.”
“All of this complements our ongoing work to raise up authoritative health information on our platform and connect people with credible, quality health content and sources.” YouTube state they will continue to invest in policies and products to bring “high quality information” to viewers and the YouTube community.
The guidelines themselves state that it will not allow “content that poses a serious risk of egregious harm by spreading medical misinformation about currently administered vaccines that are approved and confirmed to be safe and effective by local health authorities and by the World Health Organization (WHO).”
Among the list of chronic side effect claims users cannot post (outside of rare side effects recognized by health authorities) include cancer, diabetes, that vaccines do not reduce the risk of illness, contains unlisted substances (such a fetus tissue or cells, or animal byproducts), can be used to track someone, alter a person’s genetic makeup, or are part of a depopulation agenda.
The MMR vaccine may not be accused of causing autism, the flu vaccine may not be accused of causing infertility, and the HPV vaccine may not be accused of causing paralysis. Content also cannot claim that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction.
Content that would otherwise violate these policies will be permitted if it provides “additional context;” such as countervailing views from health authorities and medical experts. Those condemning, disputing, and satirizing the misinformation are also granted exception, along with public forums such as protests or public hearings. However the latter two must not aim to promote the misinformation.
Despite the blog post saying personal testimonials were not allowed, the guidelines state first-hand experiences of content creators or their families are allowed; providing they do not have other policy violations or “demonstrate a pattern of promoting vaccine misinformation.”
Those who do violate the new terms will have their content removed, and the creator emailed. The first time this occurs the user will “probably” get a warning and no penalty, but it may be a strike against the channel. “If you get 3 strikes within 90 days, your channel will be terminated.”
Channels and accounts may also be terminated for repeated community guideline or terms of service violations; and may even occur after a single case of “severe abuse” or when the channel is dedicated to policy violation.
Concerns over the COVID-19 vaccines have included allegations of complications from the vaccine having a higher mortality rate than the virus in a healthy person [1, 2, 3, 4], including developing cardiological and neurological issues.
Conflicting reports of whether booster shots were needed (along with fluctuating demands for lockdown and when lockdown would end) and reports of the fully vaccinated still dying of COVID-19 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] also gave rise to doubt. Despite a high vaccination rate, Israel has seen high numbers of cases [1, 2, 3].
Reports of the Moderna vaccine being contaminated with metal flakes in Japan (leading to two deaths) are sure to have done little to dissuade these fears, along with allegations that those who are vaccinated can become “super spreaders” [1, 2, 3]. Fact checkers have also denied [1, 2] that testing on animals had to be halted because of wide spread deaths.
The allegation of fetus tissue may come from the “cell lines” used in many forms of vaccine testing- including those for COVID-19. Cells from two aborted fetuses from 1973 and 1985 are still in use today. In the case of Pfizer and Moderna, it was reportedly used at the “proof of concept” stage.
Doubts over the vaccine also come from a patent for COVID-19 testing beginning in 2015 (but filed in 2020), and allegations of the PCR tests not being able to detect COVID-19. There are also unconfirmed reports of Moderna and Pfizer staff being exempt from mandatory vaccination in the US, but nonetheless feeding into the concerns the public have.
Whistleblowing news organization Project Veritas (banned on Twitter yet still on YouTube at this time of writing), had also posted claims over the vaccine [1, 2, 3]. Using undercover videos from whistleblowers, showing professionals secretly condemning the vaccine, or praising mass vaccination.
This included ER doctors stating the vaccine was “full of shit” and discussing patients getting myocarditis after the second dose, those getting sick are not being reported to VAERS, no studies or no publication on studies on the vaccines’ antibodies, and the whistleblower’s own colleague being coerced into taking the vaccine despite her religion.
Alleged FDA employee Taylor Lee was also seen on camera recommending to “blowdart” the unvaccinated with borderline glee (such as via a drone) among minority communities, recommending a registry of unvaccinated people despite sounding “very [Nazi] Germany,” and that he would be happy to go door to door to “stab everyone” with the vaccine, or lying that it was another vaccine or vitamin C.
Alleged Johnson & Johnson employees (scientist Justin Durrant and Business Lead Brandon Schadt) were also shown to say children (including their own) would not need the vaccine. Schadt was also cautious about the unknown “repercussions down the road.”
They felt the push for the vaccine was a matter of politics, money, and “numbers.” Durrant even outright recommended “Don’t get the Johnson and Johnson [vaccine]” while winking. “I didn’t tell you though.” He also begged the undercover journalist not to share what he said about “formulations and cancer.”
Nonetheless, Durrant approves of the unvaccinated losing their jobs, and becoming “second grade citizens.” Schadt also states “in no capacity should we ever trust anything that [the media] says.”
Other concerns allegations of nepotism in regards to the vaccine’s approval. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses the National Institutes of Health’s testing and approval for medicine and vaccines (NIH).
The head of the NIH is Christine Grady; married to the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and 2nd Chief Medical Advisor to the President Dr. Anthony Fauci. In addition, former FDA Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs and Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb is now a Pfizer board member.
While Bloomberg reported “the largest real-world analysis” showing immunity developed from previously catching the virus as better than the vaccine; others had the aforementioned doubts and allegations of sabotage of alternative treatment and preventative measures [1, 2, 3]. Podcast host Joe Rogan had previously caught COVID-19, and reportedly recovered days later via ivermectin and other medicines.
Amid Dr. Fauci’s leaked emails in June of this year, there were allegations of emails showing that those who were asymptomatic could not spread the disease, and allegedly stating in 2020 “the epidemic will gradually decline and stop on its own without a vaccine.”
Inconsistency between experts is also another major factor. The inventor of mRNA vaccines and using RNA as a drug Robert W. Malone (MD) has been vocal about his condemnation of the vaccines on Twitter. 4,200 physicians and medical scientists have signed a petition demanding to be able to treat COVID-19 patients early treatment measures.
Fox News reports how teachers, doctors and nurses have refused the vaccine mandates (despite it costing them their jobs). They also report, via a border agent whistleblower, that border agents will be expected to be vaccinated by November 1st, or fired.
There are also concerns over the lockdown measures becoming permanent, and a method to enforce totalitarianism. The vaccine passports being proposed in various nations have led to concerns of their powers being expanded to beyond leisure, shopping, and leisure; such as banking or leading to a social credit system akin to China [1, 2].
Concerns are further maximized by increasingly brutal enforcement of lockdown measures in Australia [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8] and Ireland [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Meanwhile Norway, Denmark, and Sweden have listed all their restrictions.
These doubts may be the reason for celebrities and more to encourage getting the vaccine and dissuade the allegations; such as Family Guy and Stephen Colbert. Microsoft’s Xbox brand encouraged fans and gamers to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and reject “common myths” about the vaccine.
US President Donald Trump had previously signed the Preventing Online Censorship executive order in May 2020. It ascertained that social media was the modern “public square.”
As such they would lose their protections from being liable for what users post if they use “their power over a vital means of communication to engage in deceptive or pretextual actions stifling free and open debate by censoring certain viewpoints.” This was revoked by US President Joe Biden on May 14th of this year, along with other President Trump executive orders.
The question now remains what will happen if the majority of the public disagree with health experts, or health experts are wrong. Will YouTube change their policies? Previously YouTube had seemingly censored and deleted comments discussing Wu Mao, the Chinese government’s “50 Cent Party;” hired commenters and trolls. A YouTube representative later explained this was an error.
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