YouTube bans coronavirus-related content that directly contradicts WHO advice

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

WHO is a political organization with medical leanings just like Fox News is an entertainment channel that covers newslike topics.

Yes, there's a lot of information out there about SARS-COV2 and COVID-19 infections out there that are downright misleading at best and life threatening at worst.

No, censoring that content including videos is NOT the role of a hosting platform.

We already have examples of central authorities pushing "information" that they agree with and supressing information they believe is "incorrect" - as a freeish country, we should absolutely not encourage this behavior.

The argument can be made that Youtube is a private company and free to do as they please.

I personally dont agree with that argument - to a regular random person, Youtube is synonymous with video content.

Youtube is the news.

Perhaps one solution for Youtube would be to demonetize and label such content as "unsafe" aka "don't sue me bro mode".

Anyone who's a minor doesnt get to see this "unsafe" content.

Anyone who watches the content with "unsafe" mode on, sees the content.

Give customers the choice to choose and make up their own minds.

Removing content with the authority of being the primary video content platform? They don't get away so easy.

With power comes responsibility.

They have to handle this another way and this, is not it.

> I feel sad that they are censoring people from sharing their own experiences in this time where are governments and medical systems are largely failing us.

Upvoted.

I don't feel sad, I feel outraged!

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22956536

To a regular random person, Youtube is synonymous with video content.

Youtube is the news.

Perhaps one solution for Youtube would be to demonetize and label such content as "unsafe" or don't sue me bro mode".

Anyone who's a minor doesnt get to see this "unsafe" content. Anyone who watches the content with "unsafe" mode on, sees the content.

Give customers the choice to choose and make up their own minds.

Removing content with the authority of being the primary video content platform? They don't get away so easy.

With power comes responsibility.

They have to handle this another way and this, is not it.

Exactly.

It's extremely upsetting to see decisions like the parent's.

What's more concerning is the tone is absolute - the intention is "I know exactly what is right and the world shall follow my lead".

That guy Gandhi causing all kinds of trouble! Ban his content!

That guy MLK causing all kinds of trouble! Ban his content!

That guy Edward Jenner with his braindead idea of vaccination proposing we infect ourseves to get better! Ban! Ban! Ban!

History has many examples what that thinking leads to.

Yeah, no... I'm not jumping down that rabbithole of thought-terminating cliches. HN is already replete with countless tiresome retreads of the same slippery slope arguments around freedom of speech, censorship, social media policies, whether truth even exists, Voltaire quotes and Orwell references. Feel free to browse if that's what you're looking for, they all devolve into the same unproductive quagmire.

An echo chamber sure feels good.

This is what I know - SARS-COV2 is novel and not even highly trained, world renowned infectious diseases experts know how it behaves and how to treat it.

I don't, for a second, believe Youtube has figured that one out.

Now whether you have decided to reject all competing hypothesis to something you have already decided to be the truth so you can move on with your life and be productive in areas you find valuable - that's your call but if I see you foisting your opinions on what kind of content I get to see, that's you infringing on my freedom and we have a problem.