YouTube Suspends Trump Indefinitely Citing ‘Ongoing Potential For Violence’

Former US president Donald Trump is still being barred from using YouTube.

As well as extending Trumps suspension, the video-hosting service also announced that it has also placed new restrictions on the YouTube account of Trump lawyer Rudy Guiliani. They said that that Giuliani’s account would be barred from their Partner Program meaning he will be unable to monetise his videos.

RT reports: The Google-owned company said on Tuesday that Trump’s channel will remain suspended “in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence.” 

A spokesperson said that YouTube was keeping an eye on “any new developments” surrounding the controversial suspension and would take action accordingly. 

Following Twitter’s lead, YouTube blocked Trump on January 12, after the riots at the Capitol. The video service claimed at the time that it was worried that the ex-president could use its platform to incite further violence. YouTube extended the ban last week, saying that the restrictions would remain in place for at least another week.

In its latest announcement, YouTube did not indicate for how long the suspension would remain in place. The prolonged suspension also means that comments will continue to be disabled on the videos currently posted to Trump’s YouTube account. 

In a separate announcement, the company said that it was temporarily blocking Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, from participating in its partner program, which allows him to monetize videos on his channel. YouTube said it made the decision after Giuliani repeatedly violated its policy prohibiting false claims about alleged voter fraud in the 2020 presidential elections. He can reapply for the program after 30 days, once the issues associated with his account are resolved, a YouTube spokesperson said.  

The restrictions are part of a sweeping crackdown by Big Tech firms on what it has deemed extremist or potentially dangerous content. Trump’s permanent removal from Twitter was followed by bans and restrictions imposed by Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other major platforms, all citing concerns about the former president and his supporters inciting violence.