Google avoided implicating China after dismantling a YouTube operation targeting the Hong Kong protests, pointing instead at Twitter & Facebook's stronger statements

It also refused to tell me how long the op went on or how many people viewed the videos https://t.co/py0vDkSjAZ

— dell cameron (@dellcam) August 22, 2019

We disabled 210 channels on YouTube when we discovered channels in this network behaved in a coordinated manner while uploading videos related to the ongoing protests in Hong Kong. https://t.co/gpcfcXvu3c

— Shane Huntley (@ShaneHuntley) August 22, 2019

?YouTube says earlier this week it disabled 210 channels when it discovered that they behaved in a coordinated manner while uploading videos related to ongoing protests in Hong Kong. YouTube says discovery "consistent" w Twitter, FB news earlier this week https://t.co/uWo5R1Gr8l

— Sara Fischer (@sarafischer) August 22, 2019

Google took down 210 channels associated w/ on-going disinfo campaigns on the Hong Kong protests but doesn't directly attribute it to China:

"This discovery was consistent with recent observations and actions related to China announced by FB and Twitter."https://t.co/lzFMrwbTeB

— Ryan Mac ? (@RMac18) August 22, 2019

As YouTube starts to disclose, I've noticed that anti-HK protest ads from Chinese state media that were reported on by us and others are disappearing from the Facebook ad library. FB hasn't given me a reason why that's happening or if they or the outlets taking them down.

— Ryan Mac ? (@RMac18) August 22, 2019

Bottom line though is that it's clear that the Chinese party-state has been engaged in a multi-platform information manipulation campaign using non-Chinese platforms. Anyone in Congress or Trump admin who thinks social media manipulation is just a Russia problem - think again. https://t.co/BzQjFWgRg2

— Laura Rosenberger (@rosenbergerlm) August 22, 2019

Google: "we disabled 210 channels on YouTube when we discovered channels in this network behaved in a coordinated manner while uploading videos related to the ongoing protests in Hong Kong." Consistent w/ Facebook and Twitter activity from Chinese gov: https://t.co/s7vKLGezUf

— Sarah Frier (@sarahfrier) August 22, 2019

Good on @Google, but it would be really helpful for it to release data on these accounts, as @Twitter has done (or even samples as @facebook has. It's important both to inform efforts to counter these activities & for building resiliency against these kinds of activities. https://t.co/uCw6CBNRvO

— Laura Rosenberger (@rosenbergerlm) August 22, 2019

Note that Google, unlike Facebook and Twitter, did not directly say that the coordinated influence operation showed evidence of Chinese state sponsorship https://t.co/yY5p9nFFrA pic.twitter.com/sKQWrTLKfD

— Aaron Mc Nicholas (@aaronMCN) August 23, 2019

"This discovery was consistent with recent observations and actions related to China announced by Facebook and Twitter. We found use of VPNs and other methods to disguise the origin of these accounts and other activity commonly associated with coordinated influence operations." https://t.co/V0Vvx4sfLM

— Mary Hui (@maryhui) August 23, 2019

Don't be fooled. Facebook is still collecting data. And your data is still a commodity. They are not saying they won't sell it. https://t.co/kZRu39rGys

— CloutHub (@clouthub) August 23, 2019

“'In the past it was denial,' said Sinan Aral, a professor at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management, about the past responses of tech platforms to misinformation. 'Then it was slow reaction. Now things are moving in the right direction.'” https://t.co/cMI21CHlM5

— MIT Sloan School of Management (@MITSloan) August 23, 2019

China's been manipulating social media and disinformation at scale for some time. I discuss implications today in the NYT:https://t.co/82oNwREB4y

And highlight that Social Media is facing a "Transparency Paradox," something I described in 2018 here:https://t.co/awUsQXkS9E

— Sinan Aral (@sinanaral) August 23, 2019

Twitter, Facebook, and now Google/YouTube have taken action in disinformation efforts related to the Hong Kong protests: https://t.co/5fiPjB5ofQ

— Nieman Lab (@NiemanLab) August 23, 2019

Interesting how Twitter & YouTube (the government) seem to always go after "disinformation" just when the US is being accused of meddling in foreign affairs of adversaries. Almost as if they're censoring US opponents, but surely that would never happen..?https://t.co/m0QLKoSYKN

— LastAmericanVagabond (@TLAVagabond) August 22, 2019

Google shutters more than 200 YouTube channels amid Hong Kong protests - https://t.co/c8TyXtMl69

— Pam #Resist (@mortgageconsult) August 23, 2019

공산 독재의 선전선동술은 변함이 없다.

외국 SNS를 중국에서 금지하고 있는 중국 공산당 정부가 유튜브, 페북, 트위터 채널로 홍콩 시위에 대한 가짜뉴스를 대량 살포해서 이들 SNS 회사들이 가짜뉴스 계정 차단에 나서고 있다. https://t.co/JFyU7KC97A

— Byungtae Lee (@LotusCreekKR) August 23, 2019

Google shutters more than 200 YouTube channels amid #HongKongProtests @Google $GOOG @CNBC https://t.co/EsBdy2sFws

— Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) August 23, 2019

Google shutters more than 200 YouTube channels amid Hong Kong protests https://t.co/KgVInWpUx7

— Karol Cummins (@karolcummins) August 22, 2019

Youtube removed accounts involved in spreading #disinformation about #HongKongProtests. https://t.co/a3To2DOCCz pic.twitter.com/2RuNncbokx

— Access Now (@accessnow) August 23, 2019

YouTube Disables 210 Channels That Spread Disinformation About Hong Kong Protests https://t.co/BZXZ1Cw1FN

— Sui-Lee Wee 黄瑞黎 (@suilee) August 23, 2019

YouTube Disables 210 Channels That Spread Disinformation About Hong Kong Protests - The New York Times https://t.co/5e09Yprzvi

— Clint Watts (@selectedwisdom) August 23, 2019

Google kills 200+ YouTube channels that challenge the American propaganda about Hong Kong! ?

There’s only one truth and everyone must believe it. USA has soooo much more freedom than China! ??????https://t.co/7Qrq3lG72B

— Economics Geopolitics Tech (@EconGeopolTech) August 22, 2019

(接上) ...https://t.co/3ByUHytIE3

— Freedom ?? (@billowpie) August 23, 2019

.@YouTube announced the removal of hundreds of channels responsible for spreading #disinformation around the #HongKongProtest. DFRLab’s @GrahamBrookie spoke to the @nytimes about what we can learn from this information operation:https://t.co/oZph4Tu2xW

— DFRLab (@DFRLab) August 23, 2019

YouTube joins the online outlets cracking down on clandestine Chinese state propaganda. https://t.co/iD5PmcoKFZ

— Carlos Tejada (@CRTejada) August 23, 2019

YouTube joins FB and Twitter in taking down HK-related disinformation accounts, though it didn't specifically say whether the accounts were state-backed. https://t.co/AR1NeRe7fZ

— Raymond Zhong (@zhonggg) August 23, 2019

YouTube Disables 210 Channels That Spread Disinformation About Hong Kong Protests https://t.co/G2geTnkwJS

— Adam Segal (@adschina) August 23, 2019

Google plays politics with China as it quietly bans state-sponsored YouTube accounts https://t.co/6UeAcpWTfl

— TNW (@thenextweb) August 23, 2019

"[@Google]disabled 210 channels on YouTube when we discovered channels in this network behaved in a coordinated manner while uploading videos related to the ongoing protests in Hong Kong"

But reading announcement it is actually pretty unclear exactly why?https://t.co/IZqAdA7YmD

— Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (@rasmus_kleis) August 23, 2019

Happy to see Google do the right thing here. https://t.co/yDUxkS8WWD

— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) August 23, 2019

[JUST IN] @YouTube disabled 210 channels that “behaved in a coordinated manner while uploading videos related to the ongoing (#antiELAB) protests in #Hongkong”

Link to full article from @ShaneHuntley: https://t.co/oNI0hs7vKR#FreedomHK #Hongkongprotest #StandwithHK pic.twitter.com/MnBmdwYCuK

— Freedom HK (@FreedomHKG) August 23, 2019

Maintaining the integrity of our platforms
..we disabled 210 channels on YouTube when we discovered channels in this network behaved in a coordinated manner while uploading videos related to the ongoing protests in Hong Kong.https://t.co/GVfIXeZH2T

— 28小盆友 (@chengr28) August 23, 2019

This is worrying.

As with everything the Globalist establishment do, it is framed as a force for good, however closing down accounts because they seem them unacceptable is effectively normalising mass censorship.https://t.co/yMvD0ANW4g

— Ian of Beaconsfield ?? ??????? ?? (@MrTardigradeUK) August 23, 2019

YouTube disabled 201 channels that "behaved in a coordinated manner while uploading videos related to the ongoing protests in Hong Kong" https://t.co/CVJsMsnKhR

— Jillian D'Onfro (@jillianiles) August 22, 2019

We've seen it from @twitter and @facebook.... and now @YouTube has entered the chat.

American social media platforms are fighting Chinese misinformation related to the fight for freedom in Hong Kong. https://t.co/oZZea6y1QZ

— Smarter Every Day (@smartereveryday) August 23, 2019

Maintaining the integrity of our platforms @google https://t.co/WQib28HfXJ

— Lutz Mache (@lutzmache) August 23, 2019

「プラットフォームの整合性を維持するために」と題された記事。香港やカザフスタンでの対策例を挙げている。

"integrity"という単語に、単なる辻褄合わせではない、誠実さの表明、あるいは矜持のようなものを感じさせる。

Maintaining the integrity of our platformshttps://t.co/j8FuyIQNiK

— Yoshihiro OKADA (@adreamgoeson) August 23, 2019

YouTube Disables 210 Channels That Spread Disinformation About Hong Kong Protestshttps://t.co/BVFid97iW5

— NARAYAN KAFLE (@kaflepost) August 23, 2019

Google plays politics with China as it quietly bans state-sponsored YouTube accounts https://t.co/s4AFZi5ESU

— TNW (@thenextweb) August 24, 2019

Google plays politics with China as it quietly bans state-sponsored YouTube accounts https://t.co/QFeRCi2JZU

— TNW (@thenextweb) August 24, 2019

谷歌也出手清理中共水军了 https://t.co/9YzE6QXgsM

— Jian Alan Huang (@hnjhj) August 22, 2019