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YouTube allowed right-wingers to undermine the 2024 election results before any votes were cast

YouTube allowed right-wingers to undermine the 2024 election results before any votes were cast

After rolling back its election disinformation policy last year, YouTube allowed right-wing media members to undermine confidence in the 2024 election results before any votes were cast, with streamers asserting that “the only way the left can win this election is if were stolen,” suggesting that “illegal ballots” may have been “slipped” in Pennsylvania and claiming that Democrats are trying to “rig and steal the election,” including through “illegal foreign influence.”

In December 2020, after states certified their election results, YouTube launched removal settle for false claims that widespread fraud changed the election outcome, but the platform overturned this policy in June 2023, stating that it will “stop removing content that contains false claims that widespread fraud, errors, or glitches occurred during the 2020 U.S. presidential election and other previous U.S. presidential elections.” (The decision was made he cheered by right-wing media).

Over the last year, right-wing creators have been taking advantage Rolling back YouTube policiesespecially in the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election. For example, Media Matters in July reported that after becoming co-chair of the Republican National Committee in March, Lara Trump repeatedly engaged in election denial on her YouTube show.

Even right-wing podcaster Steven Crowder found about the policy change during an August broadcast on the platform, saying: “Here’s another way they’re trying to steal this election from you. Now we can say it on YouTube, which is great.”