YouTube · YouTube Community Guidelines

GIFCT Counter-Terrorism Partnership

Medium severity
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What it is

YouTube bans content supporting terrorist or criminal organizations and works with other major tech companies through the GIFCT to identify and remove such content across the internet.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Creators or users who produce content discussing extremism, terrorism, or criminal organizations — even in an analytical or journalistic context — face risk of removal based on government designation lists and cross-platform coordination, with limited transparency about the specific criteria applied.

Cross-platform context

See how other platforms handle GIFCT Counter-Terrorism Partnership and similar clauses.

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Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

YouTube's reliance on government designations and cross-platform GIFCT coordination means content moderation decisions on extremism can be influenced by geopolitical factors and result in coordinated removal across multiple platforms simultaneously.

View original clause language
Content that's meant to praise, promote, or aid violent extremist or criminal organizations is not allowed on YouTube. We rely on many factors — like certain government and international organization designations — to determine what constitutes criminal or terrorist organizations. We're also a founding member of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), where we work with other tech companies to keep terrorist content off the web — and provide training and other resources to smaller companies facing similar challenges.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision implicates the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation (TCO Regulation, EU 2021/784) requiring hosting service providers to remove terrorist content within one hour of a competent authority removal order; EU DSA Article 41 regarding cooperation with law enforcement; US counter-terrorism statutes including 18 U.S.C. §2339B (material support for terrorism); and OFAC sanctions compliance obligations where designated organizations are involved. Primary enforcement authorities: European Commission, national competent authorities under TCO Regulation, US DOJ, and OFAC.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    Systematic over-removal of legitimate journalism or research content through GIFCT coordination could constitute an unfair practice under FTC Act Section 5.
    File a complaint →
  • State AG
    State Attorneys General may investigate concerns about coordinated cross-platform content removal that disproportionately affects residents' ability to access or publish information.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
YouTube Community Guidelines
Entity
YouTube
Document last updated
April 29, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
April 27, 2026
Last verified
April 27, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-003390
Document ID
CA-D-00116
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
5b66a5a7dce893613dee25b2888c323e46e2ef66abb62d974276d5f8a251f8da
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: YouTube | Document: YouTube Community Guidelines | Record: CA-P-003390
Captured: 2026-04-27 12:37:48 UTC | SHA-256: 5b66a5a7dce89361…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/youtube/youtube-community-guidelines/gifct-counter-terrorism-partnership/
Accessed: May 2, 2026
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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