Updated June 30th, 2020 at 22:04 IST

Why was Stefan Molyneux banned from YouTube? Here is the reason behind YouTube's decision

Stefan Molyneux is a Canadian podcaster, who has been added to the list of creators banned from YouTube. Find out what did the YouTuber do

Reported by: Disha Kandpal
| Image:self
Advertisement

On June 29, 2020, the video-sharing platform YouTube banned many of its supremacist channels. The most prominent ones belong to Stefan Molyneux, Richard Spencer and David Duke. The decision came following the widespread protests in America for the Black Lives Matter movement. Continue reading to find out why was Stefan Molyneux banned from YouTube.

Read | Why was David Duke banned from YouTube? Read the reason behind YouTube's decision

Who is Stefan Molyneux?

Stefan Molyneux is a 53-year-old Canadian far-right podcaster. He was previously known for his scientific racism, supremacist ideologies. The ex-YouTuber was born in Ireland, raised in England and moved to Canada at the age of 11. In November 2019, PayPal had suspended Molyneux's account, following a campaign by activist group Sleeping Giants following his hate speech and bigoted philosophy on racism.

Read | Why was Richard Spencer banned from YouTube & will he return to the platform?

Why was Stefan Molyneux was banned from YouTube?

Stefan Molyneux was banned by YouTube following its 2019 policy on hate speech. Molyneux was often found propagating conspiracy theories relating to race supremacy and IQ among his followers. He was accused of leading a cult through his podcasts.

YouTube spokesperson revealed in an interview given to a media outlet recently that after updating their policies in 2019 to avoid circulating of hate speech on the platform, up to 25,000 channels had been removed from the platform for violation of the policy. The spokesperson revealed that Stefan Molyneux’s channel had repeatedly violated the platform's policies. In 2019 the company issued updated rules prohibiting “videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status.” Channels such as Stefan Molyneux’s, that were repeatedly brushing up against this type of content, but weren’t crossing the line were receiving other penalties.

Read | Cam Newton bids farewell to Carolina Panthers via inspirational YouTube vlog

The platform went to the extent of revoking the channel’s YouTube’s Partner Program. Thus stopping monetisation and the creator's ability to earn money through such videos. YouTube has been receiving pressure from critics for years to remove Molyneux’s channel. Stefan Molyneux was also banned by Mailchimp, an American marketing platform and email marketing service earlier in 2020.

Read | Steph Curry unveils teaser trailer for new YouTube series 'Ultimate Home Championship'

When will Stefan Molyneux be back on Youtube?

As per the interview given by the YouTube spokesperson to a popular media outlet, the platform does not intend to allow the banned supremacists to return on it. In a message that banned supremacist Richard Spencer received from the platform and which he later posted on his Twitter handle, the platform made it clear that he had been banned permanently. It is highly likely that the banned supremacists will never get a passage of re-entry again.

Advertisement

Published June 30th, 2020 at 22:04 IST