Google removes nearly 11,000 YouTube channels due to Russia, China links

Google has taken down almost 11,000 YouTube channels and related accounts in the second quarter of 2025 as part of its ongoing efforts to combat global disinformation campaigns. The mass takedown, detailed in a report by CNBC and Google's official blog, is part of the company’s broader strategy to tackle coordinated influence operations by state-linked actors, primarily from China and Russia.

According to Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG), more than 7,700 of the removed accounts were tied to China. These channels posted content in Chinese and English promoting the People’s Republic of China, endorsing President Xi Jinping’s policies, and commenting on US foreign affairs.

Over 2,000 additional YouTube channels linked to Russia were also terminated. These accounts shared multilingual content that promoted pro-Russia narratives while criticising Ukraine, NATO, and Western governments. Some of the material was directly associated with Russian state-sponsored organisations and consulting firms.

In May, Google removed 20 YouTube channels, four advertising accounts, and one blog connected to RT (formerly Russia Today), Russia’s state-controlled media outlet. RT had already been banned from YouTube in March 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the latest action reflects continued attempts to disseminate propaganda through alternative accounts. RT has also faced allegations of paying influencers to sway political discourse ahead of the 2024 US elections.

Beyond China and Russia, Google also disrupted coordinated influence operations linked to several other countries, including Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel, Ghana, and Romania. These campaigns often targeted political opponents and touched on sensitive regional issues such as internal elections and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

One such case involved 457 YouTube channels tied to Azerbaijan that promoted pro-government narratives and attacked domestic critics as well as Armenia. In Iran’s case, many of the channels were supportive of the Iranian regime and Palestine while taking a critical stance on the US and Israel.

The takedowns span not just YouTube, but also Google’s broader ecosystem, including Ads, AdSense, Blogger, and Google News. Several domains linked to these operations have also been blocked from appearing in Google News and Discover feeds.

The latest crackdown follows Google’s removal of more than 23,000 accounts in the first quarter of the year. With the second quarter’s actions, the total number of state-linked propaganda accounts taken down in 2025 now exceeds 30,000, underlining the growing scale and persistence of such influence campaigns.

Meanwhile, Meta has also taken steps to curb digital manipulation, recently announcing the removal of 10 million fake Facebook and Instagram accounts that were impersonating popular content creators. The move is part of its broader effort to reduce spam and misleading information on its platforms.