The widely used video platform YouTube removed Tenet Media and associated channels from its service on Thursday after the Department of Justice accused the company of taking part in a covert Russian influence operation.
The revelation came days after Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the seizure of approximately 30 internet domains allegedly used in a “Russian government-led malign foreign influence campaign colloquially referred to as ‘Doppelganger.'” According to Fox News, the unsealed indictment alleges that two Russian state media staffers secretly provided funding to a company reportedly called Tennessee-based US content production company “Tenet Media” and other shell companies for the purpose of spreading what the DOJ classified as “Russian government propaganda.”
The indictment alleges that Tenet Media “published approximately 2,000 videos on social media platforms, including X and YouTube, and failed to inform viewers that they were funded by the Kremlin,” the report said.
Those with ties to the company include right-wing influencers such as Dave Rubin, Tim Pool and Benny Johnson, many of whom have denied the company’s alleged ties to Russia and claim to be “victims” of so-called influence operations by Moscow.
While the matter is still under litigation, YouTube appears to have deemed the DOJ’s allegations and the existence of the press conference grounds enough for it to unilaterally remove Tenet Media’s channel. According to Forbes, the Google-owned company also removed the channel of Tenet Media founder Lauren Chen and other related accounts.
Users who click on the link to Tenet Media’s YouTube channel are shown a blank screen and the caption, “This channel has been removed for violating our Community Guidelines.”
In a statement to Forbes, a YouTube representative said the tech giant’s decision to shut down the channel was “part of our ongoing efforts to combat coordinated influence tactics” and came after “careful consideration.” The Google-owned video service reportedly claims it is continuing to investigate the matter.
Regardless of what revelations are ultimately confirmed about Tenet’s alleged ties to Russia, YouTube has never needed a good reason to censor content produced by non-leftists.
This has become especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the company announced in the fall of 2021 that it would remove videos from its web services from individuals who questioned the government’s stance on COVID-19 vaccinations. The announcement came months after the Biden-Harris administration publicly pressured social media companies to crack down on people it said were spreading COVID-19 “misinformation.”
As Susan Harris has previously written on this page, YouTube has been accused in recent years of censoring content “related to the January 6th Commission, COVID-19 vaccines, climate change, and former President Donald Trump’s public comments (presumably as he continues to question the results of the 2020 election).”
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer at The Federalist and a University of Mary Washington graduate. He previously served as a states content writer for the Convention of States Action and his work has appeared in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter: @ShawnFleetwood.