Statement from Priorities USA Executive Director Danielle Butterfield Regarding Changes to YouTube’s Reversal of Misinformation Policies
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Priorities USA Executive Director Danielle Butterfield issued the following statement in response to Youtube’s decision to allow election denialism on its platform:
“American democracy has been reeling from the harmful effects of election denialism for more than two years. To hear that YouTube has reversed course to allow false claims regarding the 2020 election is deeply concerning and irresponsible. As a digital-first political organization, we depend on platforms like Youtube to reach voters online in an effort to ensure that they are seeing accurate depictions in our ads and other online materials. While our program is built to navigate unexpected changes from platforms, this is a deeply concerning decision that will have devastating impacts on the upcoming election while allowing election deniers to mislead Americans.
This is yet another example of platforms making unnecessary changes to protect profits, not their users, without addressing the real challenges we face with regard to regulating online content. This decision is also the latest example of why we must diversify the platforms we use to connect with voters heading into 2024 and beyond.”
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