YouTube permanently bans Fox News host Dan Bongino
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Dan Bongino. Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Fox News host Dan Bongino was permanently banned from YouTube on Wednesday, following his suspension from the platform last week for violating its COVID-19 misinformation policy, a YouTube spokesperson told Axios.
Why it matters: The ban comes amid a push by right-wing media personalities, politicians and investors to create new social platforms that cater to conservatives. Some fringe conservatives, including Bongino, have alleged that social media platforms are biased against them.
- Bongino is a shareholder of Rumble, a conservative alternative to YouTube, and Parler, a conservative alternative to Twitter.
Worth noting: YouTube last week deactivated two channels linked to the Oath Keepers militia group, whose members were charged in relation to the Jan. 6 Capitol siege, the company told Axios’ Ashley Gold.
Catch up quick: YouTube suspended one of Bongino's YouTube channels on Jan. 20 after he posted a video questioning the efficacy of wearing face masks to protect against COVID-19.
- He then tried to circumvent the one-week suspension by posting on a secondary channel during the suspension, prompting both channels to be terminated, the spokesperson told Axios.
What they're saying: “We terminated Dan Bongino’s channels for circumventing our Terms of Service by posting a video while there was an active strike and suspension associated with the account," the YouTube spokesperson said in a statement.
- "When a channel receives a strike, it is against our Terms of Service to post content or use another channel to circumvent the suspension. If a channel is terminated, the uploader is unable to use, own or create any other YouTube channels.”
