YouTube Demonetizes Anti-Vaccine Channels

Buzzfeed News reports:

YouTube on Friday said it would prevent channels that promote anti-vax content from running advertising, saying explicitly that such videos fall under its policy prohibiting the monetization of videos with “dangerous and harmful” content.

The move comes after advertisers on YouTube pulled their ads from these videos, following inquiries from BuzzFeed News.

“We have strict policies that govern what videos we allow ads to appear on, and videos that promote anti-vaccination content are a violation of those policies. We enforce these policies vigorously, and if we find a video that violates them, we immediately take action and remove ads,” a YouTube spokesperson said in an email statement to BuzzFeed News.

Some of the channels have millions of views. The World Health Organization recently listed the anti-vax movement as one of the top ten global health threats for 2019.