YouTube tightens restrictions on top UK Islamophobe

YouTube has further increased restrictions on the activities of the top UK Islamophobe Tommy Robinson amid calls on the giant online video-sharing website to ban the controversial figure for good.

News ID: 444116

Date: 03 April 2019 - 13:47

RNA - YouTube announced on Tuesday that the new restrictions included turning comments and likes off on Robinson’s channel while making his videos undiscoverable.

The company said a content warning will be placed on Robinson’s videos before they play and they won’t appear as recommendations while the controversial figure will no longer be able to use the live streaming option on the website.

It said view counts won’t appear on any of videos on Robinson’s channel on the website which has over 388,000 followers. The Google-owned company also tightened the demonetizing restrictions it had imposed on Robinson in January, making him completely unable to generate income from advertisements.

A YouTube spokeswoman said the new measures were in response to users flagging Robinson’s content as potentially violating rules against hate speech and extremism.

“After consulting with third-party experts, we are applying a tougher treatment to Tommy Robinson’s channel in keeping with our policies on borderline content,” said the spokeswoman while insisting that the content posted by the Islamophobic figure were not illegal.

Robinson has a history of criminal convictions in Britain and is banned from travelling to the United States where he has high-profile supporters among politicians and campaigners. He has already been banned by major social media organizations like Facebook, Twitter and PayPal.

The controversial figure, whose real name is Stephen Axley-Lennon, has staged numerous anti-Muslim demonstrations across the UK over the past years while openly condoning attacks against Muslims in the country.

Activists and politicians in Britain have been pressuring YouTube to ban Robinson, saying he is using the platform for spreading hate against Muslims.

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