Russian disinformation on YouTube draws ads, lacks warning labels according to researchers

Omelas, a Washington based firm that tracks online extremism, identified 14 Russian-backed Youtube channels that were not labelled as state-sponsored. These accounts ran in direct contradiction to YouTube’s service policy that was introduced in February of 2018 required labels on all news items that are wholly or partly funded by national governments. Disinformation ranged from a U.S. politician covering up a human organ harvesting ring and the economic collapse of Scandinavian countries. These accounts generated billions of views and millions of dollars in advertising revenue. Omelas researchers noted 12 additional Russia-sponsored channels spreading disinformation however, these sites were labelled.

About This Incident

Threat Actors: Russia

Incident Metadata

Date: 2017-2018
Country: United States