FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday attacked YouTube and its parent company Google, accusing tech giant of censorship of its decision to remove from its platform the video of a coronavirus discussion that goes organize where his group criticized the blockades. and some masks as ineffective.
DeSantis said YouTube’s claim that the group’s March 18 video violates its ban on posting misinformation is an attempt to stifle dissent against the federal government’s pandemic response. That discussion included Dr. Scott Atlas, a radiologist who was a coronavirus adviser to former President Donald Trump, and other doctors who supported DeSantis’ decision to open Florida’s economy with few restrictions.
Monday’s attack is part of a larger war that DeSantis and other Republicans are waging against social media giants, including Facebook and Twitter, arguing they discriminate against conservatives.
“Google / YouTube has not been throughout this repository of truth and scientific research, but has acted (as) executors of a narrative, a great technological council of censors in the service of the ruling elite,” he said. DeSantis during a Tallahassee press conference. with Atlas and other doctors who were on his previous panel.
YouTube says it removed the video from the DeSantis panel because some participants said children should not wear masks because they are ineffective at this age and are potential health hazards. YouTube said this contradicts U.S. government guidelines that say children 2 years of age and older should wear masks in public and when they are close to people they do not live with.
“YouTube has clear policies on medical misinformation of COVID-19 to support the health and safety of our users,” the company said in a statement Monday. “We withdrew this video because it included content that contradicts the consensus of local and global health authorities on the effectiveness of masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19.”
DeSantis wants the Florida legislature to pass a bill that could make it difficult for users who say they violate their rules to companies to withdraw. Critics argue that the proposal will have little impact as companies transcend state borders and would be challenged to violate the rights of the first amendment of companies.
Atlas compared YouTube’s decision to withdraw the video to the Soviet Union and China, where communist governments banned views with which the rulers disagreed.
“There’s nothing more dangerous than being able to censor what’s being said in a country because you don’t even hear the truth,” Atlas said.
YouTube and its followers counter that it is a private company and not a government agency and has no obligation to host information that it believes violates its rules and regulations. The company said Monday it does not discriminate.
“Our policies apply to everyone and focus on content regardless of the speaker,” he said.
Criticism of the governor’s statements came quickly from Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat and potential challenger next year. In a statement, she called her comments “dangerous and brazen rhetoric.”
“Over a year in which 2 million Floridians have been sick, 34,000 have died and one million have lost jobs, this governor has blamed everyone, including the media, Hispanic farm workers, China and “Big Tech, while not taking responsibility for hiding data, silencing critics and lying to Floridians,” he said.
DeSantis has long faced criticism from Fried and other Democrats for his treatment of the pandemic, saying it allowed the state to be too open too quickly. A recent example was the spring break, where tens of thousands of college students from across the country and around the world crowded Miami Beach with few masks and no social distance. The city imposed a curfew to reduce the crowds.
DeSantis claims Florida has been medically better than many states with stronger restrictions.
Florida, in general, is close to the center of states with COVID-19 deaths per capita, at a rate of 159 per 100,000 since the pandemic began 13 months ago. Some states that had tougher blockades such as New York and New Jersey have much higher rates of about 260 per 100,000, but were also hit hardest at the start of the pandemic before restrictions could be affected and before improvements were made. medical treatments for the disease.
California, which DeSantis also likes to cite as a blockade failure, has a slightly lower mortality rate of 153 per 100,000.
Over the past week, Florida’s daily per capita mortality rate has been lower in these three states.
DeSantis on Monday also promoted state vaccination efforts. According to Florida health officials, 7.2 million residents have received at least one dose, about 40% of adults. About 4.4 million are completely vaccinated. It is 25% of adults.
But black residents are still underrepresented, while 17% of Floridians are black, only about 6.5% of those who have received at least one shot have been identified as black. This figure is likely to be a bit low, as 1 in 7 people vaccinated have refused to identify their race.
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Associated Press reporter Bobby Caina Calvan in Tallahassee contributed to this report.