The document states that content praising, promoting, or aiding violent extremist or criminal organizations is prohibited, and that YouTube uses government and international organization designations among other factors to define which organizations qualify.
This analysis describes what YouTube's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
This provision discloses that YouTube's definition of prohibited extremist content is partially determined by reference to external government and international organization designation lists, which may vary by jurisdiction and change over time, affecting which content is subject to removal.
Interpretive note: The document states that multiple factors beyond government designations are used to determine prohibited organizations but does not enumerate those factors, creating ambiguity in enforcement scope.
YouTube's updated Community Guidelines now explicitly state the platform is expanding likeness detection technology to protect civic leaders and journalists from deepfakes and synthetic media, not just creators and artists. This broadens the scope of automated protection against manipulated video and audio content. While the change does not alter user obligations or remove rights, it signals that detection and enforcement of synthetic media policies may increase for content involving public figures and professional journalists.
View change record →Under this provision, content associated with organizations designated as terrorist or criminal by governments or international bodies may be removed from YouTube regardless of the content creator's intent or geographic location. The document states that multiple factors are considered, but does not enumerate the full set of criteria used.
How other platforms handle this
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When you use Microsoft services, you must comply with Microsoft's Code of Conduct. Prohibited conduct includes using the services to do anything illegal, transmitting content that is harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Microsof...
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"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.— Excerpt from YouTube's YouTube Community Guidelines
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages EU Regulation 2021/784 on terrorist content online, which imposes one-hour removal obligations for terrorist content on hosting service providers operating in the EU. The GIFCT membership referenced in the document is relevant to this regulatory framework. US counter-terrorism laws including 18 U.S.C. Section 2339B on material support for terrorism are also implicated. The reliance on government designation lists creates jurisdictional variability, as designation criteria differ across the US, EU, UN, and other bodies. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The use of external government designation lists as a moderation criterion means that changes to those lists can affect the scope of prohibited content without advance notice to creators, creating operational risk for organizations producing content about designated groups in journalistic or research contexts. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU and EEA creators and platforms face heightened exposure under EU Regulation 2021/784, which imposes specific removal timelines and referral obligations. UK creators engage the Online Safety Act's terrorism content provisions. Creators in jurisdictions with different designation frameworks may face inconsistent enforcement outcomes. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: News organizations, NGOs, and research institutions producing content that may reference designated organizations should evaluate their content governance policies against YouTube's stated prohibition and the EDSA exception framework. Due diligence should include monitoring changes to relevant government designation lists. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams advising EU-based platform operations should assess YouTube's stated removal framework against EU Regulation 2021/784 obligations, including one-hour removal and referral requirements. Teams advising content creators should document the journalistic or research basis for content referencing designated organizations to support potential EDSA exception claims.
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This provision discloses that YouTube's definition of prohibited extremist content is partially determined by reference to external government and international organization designation lists, which may vary by jurisdiction and change over time, affecting which content is subject to removal.
Under this provision, content associated with organizations designated as terrorist or criminal by governments or international bodies may be removed from YouTube regardless of the content creator's intent or geographic location. The document states that multiple factors are considered, but does not enumerate the full set of criteria used.
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