After Facebook, Google Drops 39 YouTube Channels Linked to Iran

Google has removed 39 YouTube channels linked to Iran, and 42 linked to Russia.

After Facebook removed 652 accounts linked to Russia and Iran, Google has followed suit and removed nearly 100 channels from YouTube.

(Photo: AP)

After Facebook removed 652 accounts linked to Russia and Iran, Google has followed suit and removed nearly 100 channels from its video platform, YouTube.

Google's senior vice president for global affairs, Kent Walker wrote in a blog post, that Google has removed 39 channels with ties to Iran and 42 channels connected to Russia from YouTube.

Google has been scrutinising its websites and services with the help of a cyber-security firm FireEye. 

Walker, in his blogpost said, "We’re grateful to FireEye for identifying some suspicious Google accounts (three email accounts, three YouTube channels, and three Google+ accounts), which we swiftly disabled."

Walker said that some of the sites removed from YouTube were connected to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Others were linked to the Internet Research Agency, allegedly a front for Russia's web trolls.

We’ve updated US lawmakers and law enforcement about the results of our investigation, including its relation to political content in the United States.

Kent Walker, senior vice president for global affairs, Google

US tech companies have come under heavy pressure requiring them to safeguard their websites and services after the issue of Russia meddling with the 2016 US elections came to light. It is believed that Russia used Facebook and other social networking websites to influence the 2016 US elections.

However, the numbers on the YouTube channels removed are minuscule.

The 42 channels that are apparently linked with Russia had a total of 1,800 views while the one’s traced back to Iran have 13,466 views combined.