Google announced on Monday that it had taken down nearly 11,000 YouTube channels and other accounts connected to state-sponsored propaganda campaigns in the second quarter of 2025. The majority of these accounts were linked to China and Russia, among other countries.
More than 7,700 of the removed YouTube channels were tied to Chinese operations. These channels primarily shared content in Chinese and English promoting the People’s Republic of China, supporting President Xi Jinping, and commenting on U.S. foreign affairs.
Over 2,000 removed channels were connected to Russian-backed efforts. These accounts published content in multiple languages that supported Russia’s actions and criticized Ukraine, NATO, and Western countries.
Past Actions and Expanding Scope
Earlier this year in May, Google removed 20 YouTube channels, four Ads accounts, and one Blogger blog linked to RT, the Russian state-controlled media outlet. RT is accused of paying conservative influencers like Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, and Benny Johnson for social media content ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
YouTube began blocking RT channels shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.
These account removals are part of the ongoing work by Google’s Threat Analysis Group to counter global disinformation campaigns and coordinated influence operations.
In addition to China and Russia, Google’s second-quarter report revealed removals linked to influence campaigns from Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Romania, and Ghana. Many of these targeted political rivals and reflected geopolitical conflicts, including opposing narratives surrounding the Israel-Palestine War.
A YouTube spokesperson said, “The findings from the most recent update are in line with our expectations of this regular and ongoing work.”
Google removed more than 23,000 accounts during the first quarter of 2025.
Industry-Wide Crackdown on Misinformation
Meta also announced last week it had removed about 10 million profiles during the first half of 2025. These accounts were impersonating large content producers as part of the company’s efforts to combat spammy content.
Author’s Opinion
The rapid removal of thousands of state-linked propaganda channels highlights the ongoing struggle tech platforms face in policing disinformation. While these actions are necessary to protect public discourse and democratic processes, they also reveal how sophisticated and widespread misinformation campaigns have become. The challenge remains balancing freedom of speech with the urgent need to halt manipulation and foreign influence online.
Featured image credit: Adleg
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