Censorship of video-sharing platform YouTube occurs to varying degrees in many countries.
General
YouTube blocking occurs for a variety of reasons including:[1]
In some countries YouTube is completely blocked, either through a long-term standing ban or for more limited periods of time such as during periods of unrest, the run-up to an election, or in response to upcoming political anniversaries. In other countries, access to the website as a whole remains open, but access to specific videos is blocked due to many reasons including orders from country jurisdiction. In both cases, a VPN is usually deployed to bypass geographical restrictions. In cases where the entire site is banned due to one particular video, YouTube will often agree to remove or limit access to that video in order to restore service.[1]
As of September 2012, countries with standing national bans on YouTube include China, Iran, and Turkmenistan. Due to disputes between GEMA and YouTube over royalties, many videos featuring copyrighted songs were inaccessible in Germany. After an agreement was made between the companies in November 2016, these videos became accessible.[2][3]
Shadowbanning of comments
Comments on YouTube are frequently shadowbanned without the poster even being informed of it. Once posted, the comment appears but immediately disappears when the page is refreshed.
Age-Verify experience in selected countries
On July 30, 2025, amid the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023 in the United Kingdom, Google announced that it would begin to enforce "age assurance" policies for selected users in the United States as a trial. Machine learning will be used to determine the age of the user (regardless of any account information indicating their age) and restrict access to certain content and features across all Google properties, including YouTube (including, in particular, disabling personalized advertising and enabling certain digital wellbeing limits), if they are assumed to be under 18. On YouTube, this will be based on factors such as searches and video history, and the age of the account. The user must go through age verification via payment, scanned ID, or selfie to access all features if they are detected to be a minor.[7][8]
EU Copyright Article 17 (Formerly Article 13)
The Article 17 (Formerly Article 13) of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market is feared and criticized as censorship even by Big Techs and CEOs like Susan Wojcicki, mandatory for all countries of the European Union (except for the UK since Brexit) within two years if adopted.
In 2019, the Article 13 has passed, mandating all online platforms even YouTube to implement Upload Filter in entire European Union, which scan for Copyright content and blocked from being uploaded or being blocked for EU audience if uploader was outside from EU, this was to protect Copyright holders but critics says that it would censor freedom of speech and expression, that would even censors fair use like memes or parodies too, following millions of protests, the Article 17 has been relaxed to make exempt for fair use like memes or parodies.[9][10]
Countries where access to YouTube is currently blocked
China
YouTube was first blocked in China for over five months from October 16, 2007[11] to March 22, 2008.[12] It was blocked again from March 24, 2009, although a Foreign Ministry spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny whether YouTube had been blocked.[13] Since then, YouTube has been inaccessible from mainland China.[14] However, YouTube can still be accessed from Hong Kong (via a local version), Macau (via a worldwide version), the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone, specific hotels, and by using a VPN.[15]
Countries where access to YouTube was formerly blocked
Afghanistan
On September 12, 2012, YouTube was blocked in Afghanistan due to hosting the trailer to the controversial film about Muhammad, Innocence of Muslims, which the authorities considered to be blasphemous.[24] YouTube was later unblocked in Afghanistan on December 1 of the same year.[25]
Armenia
Following the disputed February 2008 presidential elections, the Armenian government blocked Internet users' access to YouTube for a month. The Armenian opposition had used the website to publicize video of alleged police brutality against anti-government protesters.[26][27]
See also
- Censorship of Wikipedia
- Censorship of Facebook
- Censorship of Twitter
- Censorship of TikTok
External links
- YouTube Censored: A recent History by the OpenNet Initiative: an interactive map that shows a rough history of YouTube censorship since 2006.
- "Free Speech in the Age of YouTube" in The New York Times, September 22, 2012
- Google Transparency Report
References
- YouTube Censored: A Recent History | OpenNet Initiative opennet.net, retrieved 2022-12-29^
- Rechte für Musikvideos: YouTube und Gema einigen sich nach jahrelangem Streit Spiegel Online, November 2016, retrieved March 19, 2018^
- Fabian Reinbold, Angela Gruber. YouTube vs. Gema: Was das Ende des Dauerstreits für YouTube-Nutzer bedeutet