YouTube Removes Ads from 'Trump Won' Video After Backlash

The current presidential election is presenting a significant challenge to the American democratic process. It is also thoroughly evaluating the mechanisms employed by prominent social media networks, four years after an election cycle marked by the spread of inaccurate information. Twitter has demonstrated a relatively quick – though not entirely anticipatory – response in its efforts to identify and label questionable content.

The management of video content, generally acknowledged as more complex to moderate, has proven to be a different situation across many of these platforms. A specific concern involves videos such as the One American News Network’s (OAN) piece titled “Trump Won.” Published earlier today, this report mirrors the president’s previous statements asserting his victory in the election and alleging that states and/or the Democratic Party are attempting to fraudulently alter the outcome. As of now, the election’s result remains undecided.

Google, the parent company of YouTube, previously detailed potential policy breaches in anticipation of the election, stating that it would:

Following communication with the press, the company indicated that the video does not violate its Community Standards, but confirmed that advertising revenue has been removed from the content.

“Our Community Guidelines do not allow content that misleads voters about voting procedures, such as information designed to deceive voters regarding the time, location, method, or eligibility requirements for voting, or unsubstantiated claims that could significantly discourage participation in voting,” a representative explained to TechCrunch. “The content within this video does not reach that threshold. An information panel is displayed on all search results and videos related to this election – including this video – indicating that election results are preliminary, and we are continuing to prioritize credible information in search results and recommendations. Furthermore, we are removing advertisements from videos containing demonstrably false claims about election results, such as this video. We will remain attentive during the post-election period.”

The video now includes a “U.S. Elections” section underneath, which states, “Results may not be final. See the latest on Google,” and directs users to a Google search page. In a separate announcement, the platform noted that it “intend[s] to highlight videos from experts, such as public health organizations, in search results,” implying that a video like the one mentioned above would, in theory, be given lower priority in search rankings compared to more authoritative sources, including CNN, Fox News, Jovem Pan, India Today and The Guardian.

The weeks and months ahead will undoubtedly offer numerous opportunities to evaluate the responses of these platforms and determine whether their actions were sufficient to address the spread of misinformation and disinformation during this particularly uncertain period in U.S. electoral history.