Conservative commentator Candace Owens was suspended from YouTube after she had an interview with rapper and entrepreneur Kanye West. The incident has since become highly controversial, casting questions about free speech and the role of big tech platforms in content moderation. Owens is known for her impassioned views, which range from politics to social justice and bias within the media. She spoke with West in a video that reportedly contained content in violation of YouTube’s community guidelines.
Interview and Controversy
In the interview with West, Owens has discussed many topics: everything from beliefs on race to politics and entertainment. West himself has never been a stranger to controversy and many times has made headlines concerning his candid statements. It seems this interview, however, crossed the line for YouTube’s moderation team. The exact nature or the details of the violation were not told, but some unofficial sources said that this may include statements against or considered harmful under the hate speech policy of YouTube.
YouTube is quite particular in what classifies as a ban on apparent hate speech, misinformation, and incitement to violence. Long before, Owens had been receiving flak for her pronouncements on the Black Lives Matter movement, COVID-19, and topics that have something to do with gender. Her connection to West, whose utterances were similarly inflammatory, led to her suspension from the platform.
Response and Debate over Free Speech
That suspension only revived debates over free speech and censorship, particularly over perceived silencing of conservative voices. Owens joined a chorus of people who believed the tech platforms had handpicked her and other right-wing commentators for harassment. In a fit of pique following the suspension, Owens reached out via other social media to attack YouTube; she insisted the interview with West was simply free speech, and big tech businesses were quashing conservative voices.
What YouTube is, in effect, saying is that platforms do have a responsibility to enforce community guidelines and the interview’s content was arguably injurious. What that means, in this context, is that users need protection from hate-inciting content and misinformation coming from influential public personas like Owens and West.
The temporary ban of Candace Owens by YouTube after her interview with Kanye West underlined that fine line in the sand regarding the freedom of speech and content moderation. As these technology platforms continue to find their feet, there will probably be further debates about censorship, responsibility, and free expression.
