Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

The Guardian’s sister paper forces YouTube to again terminate ‘far-right’ channel The Iconoclast, doxes man behind it

The Guardian’s sister paper forces YouTube to again terminate ‘far-right’ channel The Iconoclast, doxes man behind it

The liberal newspaper the Observer has prodded YouTube into re-suspending “the most successful and toxic British far-right” anonymous channel and has unmasked the individual running it.
The Observer, the sister newspaper of British liberal heavyweight the Guardian, has joined campaigners in celebrating a victory over YouTube channel ‘The Iconoclast’. It’s author will no longer be able to use Google’s video platform to deliver messages of hate and white supremacy to its 218,000 subscribers, the newspaper said.

The channel was suspended “after the Observer asked YouTube why it continued to host The Iconoclast,” to which the service said they shared “a deep concern and responsibility in protecting the community against hate speech and do not want our platform used for harm.”

Canceling The Iconoclast however was apparently not enough for the newspaper, since it went on to name the previously anonymous individual behind it. Citing “forensic analysis of his social media output, including repeated usernames, profile pictures, throwaway comments that corroborated biographical details shared in his YouTube videos and undeleted accounts,”the Observer said the channel was run by Daniel Atkinson, a former media student.

Atkinson is particularly dangerous because he “operated online and anonymously and outside of any formal far-right organisation but managing to reach huge numbers of people around the world,” explained Gregory Davis, researcher at anti-extremism pressure group Hope Not Hate.

The takedown seems to fit an emerging pattern of legacy media pressuring online platforms into going after alternative outlets that the career journalists find objectionable. Another fresh example is NBC News having Google kick libertarian financial blog Zero Hedge out of its advertising platform and threateningthe Federalist website with the same punishment.

The US news channel called Zero Hedge“a far-right website that often traffics in conspiracy theories.”The Federalist, NBC said, had “published an article claiming the media had been lying about looting and violence during the protests.”

Over the years US online giants have been notoriously inconsistent and erratic in removing content on their platforms and explaining and enforcing their own rules. The Iconoclast itself was shut down in August 2019 for alleged violations of YouTube hate speech policy. Days later it was reinstated, with the service saying the suspension had been a “wrong call.”

Critics of the tech giants are concerned that they are normalizing their privatized censorship, which is not subjected to the usual checks and balances that similar acts by a government would be subjected to. Going first after people like Alex Jones, whose views the general public finds extreme, allows them to then gradually add more items to a list of ‘wrongthink’ and narrow down the range of speech allowed on their platforms to match legacy corporate media.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×