Rand Paul announces exit from YouTube

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he will stop posting videos on YouTube because of actions the platform has taken over content it said violated its policies.

Paul said his decision to stop posting on YouTube is part of his “exodus from Big Tech,” and accused the platform of censoring his content. 

Paul received two strikes from YouTube, in August and September, over videos the platform said violated its COVID-19 misinformation policy. His account was suspended for seven days for each strike. If a user receives three strikes within 90 days, the account will be terminated, according to YouTube’s policy. 

The senator’s announcement comes amid more widespread Republican accusations that technology giants are censoring their content. However, there has been no evidence published suggesting systemic anti-conservative bias among major tech companies.

Paul encouraged others who do not agree with mainstream platforms’ policies to opt out of using those websites in an op-ed published in the Washington Examiner on Monday. 

“About half of the public leans right. If we all took our messaging to outlets of free exchange, we could cripple Big Tech in a heartbeat. So, today I take my first step toward denying my content to Big Tech. Hopefully, other liberty lovers will follow,” he wrote. 

Paul said he will only be posting on YouTube to criticize the platform, and will instead largely post content on the video sharing site Rumble, which has become popular among Republicans who have fled mainstream social platforms. 

Rumble entered into an agreement with former President Trump’s media company, Trump Media & Technology Group, in December.