YouTube has turn out to be the most recent platform to completely ban former kickboxer Andrew Tate, for breaching its guidelines on hate speech.
The Google-owned video platform mentioned channels related to Mr Tate had been eliminated for breaching its phrases of service – a choice that follows related strikes by Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Mr Tate first got here to prominence when he appeared on the TV present Big Brother in 2016, however was faraway from the programme after a video surfaced on-line which appeared to indicate him attacking a lady with a belt – a clip he claimed had been edited.
Since then, he has gained additional notoriety on-line for a string of feedback about ladies, together with suggesting that they “bear some responsibility” if they’re assaulted – an incident which led to him being banned from Twitter.
In an announcement given to Bloomberg, a YouTube spokesperson mentioned that channels related to Mr Tate had been eliminated due to “multiple violations” of YouTube’s group pointers and phrases of service, together with its hate speech coverage.
“If a channel is terminated, the uploader is unable to use, own or create any other YouTube channels,” the assertion mentioned.
Online security and anti-hate marketing campaign teams mentioned they’d been warning of the risks of Mr Tate’s on-line commentary for a while, noting that movies of him had been typically extensively re-shared by his followers and supporters, and urged social media platforms to transcend simply banning private or linked accounts he was recognized to make use of.
Joe Mulhall, director of analysis at Hope Not Hate, mentioned: “We are delighted that after discussions with YouTube, and our public campaigning, they have permanently removed his account.
“Andrew Tate’s YouTube account was a huge source for harmful content which spread like wildfire across the internet.
“But more action is required from all major tech platforms to make the internet a safer place. Removing Tate’s accounts from platforms does not automatically remove his content.”
Videos of and about Mr Tate, typically posted and re-shared by others, have turn out to be more and more fashionable in latest months on YouTube and TikTok specifically – a hashtag of Mr Tate’s title on TikTok has acquired greater than 13 billion views, main campaigners to name for additional motion to be taken to cease the unfold of what it says is harmful content material.
On Friday, TikTok mentioned it had been eradicating movies and accounts linked to Mr Tate “for weeks” and would proceed to take action.
In the wake of Facebook and Instagram banning him final week, Mr Tate issued an announcement denying that he held misogynistic views and accused his critics of “twisting facts”.
Source: www.impartial.co.uk