YouTube REMOVES videos from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s channel for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic
- YouTube removed several videos from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s channel on Wednesday due to misinformation of the COVID-19 pandemic
- The streaming giant did not reveal how many videos were taken down from Bolsonaro’s account. It removed 12 videos in May for the same infraction
- Bolsonaro has clashed with local Brazilian government’s over lockdown measures imposed to stop the spread of virus
- Brazil, as of Thursday, ranked second behind the United States with 545,604 coronavirus deaths
YouTube has removed a series of videos wfrom Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s account after they were deemed to be spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tech giant is the latest to pull the far-right leader’s pronouncements related to an epidemic which, as of Thursday, has resulted in 545,604 deaths in Brazil – the second highest death toll in the world, behind the United States.
The South American nation – the epicenter of the pandemic in Latin America – has reported nearly 19.5 million confirmed cases to date, third behind the U.S. and India.
YouTube said in a press release the decision was taken ‘after careful review’ and without consideration for Bolsonaro’s job or political ideology.
Bolsonaro himself has previously had COVID-19, and was hospitalized in July 2020. At one point he compared the coronavirus to a ‘little flu.’
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro had videos removed from his YouTube account after the streaming network deemed the content violated its platforms rules because they spread misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil is second behind the United States with 545,604 coronavirus deaths
As of Thursday, the coronavirus pandemic has produced 545,604 deaths in Brazil, second to the United States. The South American nation – the epicenter of the pandemic in Latin America – has reported 19,473,954 confirmed cases to date, third behind the U.S. and India
In a statement explaining the removal of the videos, the streaming giant said: ‘Our rules do not allow content that states that hydroxychloroquine and/or ivermectin are effective in treating or preventing COVID-19, that states there is a cure for the disease, or says that masks do not work to prevent the spread of the virus.’
The president’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last year, both Twitter and Facebook took down videos of Bolsonaro for breaching their terms of use after he made pronouncements that went against the recommendations of global public health experts.
Bolsonaro’s YouTube channel plays host to his weekly national addresses, which are folksy, musical events in which he invites on ministers, takes questions from viewers and blasts his enemies.
Thousands of people stage a protest against the government of President Jair Bolsonaro in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, calling for him to be impeached over his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic
Residents lined up Sunday at a Red Cross mobile center in the Brazilian state of Mina Gerais to be jabbed with the coronavirus vaccine
During the chats, which also go out on his Facebook page, he regularly expounds on his doubts about the severity of the virus, the foolishness of stay-at-home measures and the wonders of unproven drugs like hydroxychloroquine.
YouTube removed 12 videos from Bolsonaro’s channel in May after he recommended the use of chloroquine and ivermectin to treat the coronavirus.
The streaming channel’s rules indicate that a user’s profile can be pulled offline if the generates three violations with a period of 90 days. Nonetheless, the president’s channel is still up.
Cemetery workers in Rio de Janeiro prepare to bury a COVID-19 victims at Inhauma Cemetery on June 25
Bolsonaro has won widespread criticism for railing against lockdowns, touting unproven miracle cures, sowing vaccine doubts and shunning masks.
While Bolsonaro’s management of the pandemic has caused a sharp fall in popularity, a recent poll conducted by Datafolha showed that 53 percent of Brazilians now think the pandemic is ‘partly under control’ while an additional 5 percent consider it is ‘totally under control.’
Meanwhile, 41 percent of Brazilians polled think the pandemic is still “out of control,” down from a high of 79 percent in mid-March.
Opinion polls show Bolsonaro trailing former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in voter intentions for next year’s election.
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