YouTube removed five channels run by the Myanmar Army for breaching community standards and terms of service.
The company explained on Friday that it canceled the channels of broadcasters Myawaddy Media, MRTV, WD Online Broadcasting, MWD Variety and MWD Myanmar. The decision followed the February 1 military coup that overthrew the elected government sparking mass protests.
We have cancelled several channels and removed a number of videos from YouTube in accordance with our community guidelines and applicable laws,” YouTube said in an emailed statement.
The platform said it was monitoring the situation for any content that might violate its rules.
YouTube noted that in the past two months it has canceled about 20 channels and removed more than 160 videos that violated its policy on hate speech and harassment, spam and deceptive practices, violent or graphic content rules and for violations of its terms of service.
In December, it removed 34 channels as part of an investigation into the content of a coordinated influence campaign. The initiative posted videos about elections in Myanmar, regional conflicts and news related to the U.S., China and Malaysia, the platform added.
YouTube’s decision follows Facebook’s announcement that it removed all Army-linked pages from both its social network and Instagram, which it also owns.
