Social media giant YouTube has suspended the account of Republican senator Rand Paul for seven days for spreading false claims about the ineffectiveness of the mask against COVID-19.
YouTube said the claims of Paul is the first strike since it is a form of disinformation to the public.
“This resulted in a first strike on the channel, which means it can’t upload content for a week, per our longstanding three-strikes policy,” a YouTube spokesperson said.
“We apply our policies consistently across the platform, regardless of the speaker or political views, and we make exceptions for videos that have additional context such as countervailing views from local health authorities,” the spokesperson added.
Paul for his part merely shrugged off the suspension saying it is a “badge of honor”.
Paul said what YouTube did are a form of censorship and anti-free speech.
“I think private companies have the right to ban me if they want to, so in this case, I’ll just channel that frustration into ensuring the public knows YouTube is acting as an arm of government and censoring their users for contradicting the government,” Paul said.
The disinformation video of Paul shows him discussing the efficacy of masks.
After the video was posted on YouTube the social media platform proceeded to delete it since it is contrary to what some of the world’s health practitioners on the importance of masks in stopping the spread of COVID.
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