City
Epaper

Facebook, YouTube ban naming Trump impeachment whistleblower

By IANS | Updated: November 9, 2019 10:10 IST

Facebook and Google-owned YouTube have banned content on their platform that purports to name the whistleblower whose complaint led to the impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump.

Open in App

The decision came after Facebook took down ads purporting to name the whistleblower earlier this week.

"Any mention of the potential whistleblower's name violates our coordinating harm policy, which prohibits content aouting of witness, informant, or activist," Facebook said in a statement on Friday.

"We are removing any and all mentions of the potential whistleblower's name and will revisit this decision should the name be widely published in the media or used by public figures in debate," the spokesperson added.

According to The Verge, a search for the whistleblower's name on Facebook did not elicit many results.

YouTube confirmed to CNN that it would remove content that mentioned the alleged whistleblower's name in the title, the description, or the video itself.

Twitter, however, said it would not the whistleblower's name on its platform, said the report.

Trump had called for the whistleblower who triggered the impeachment inquiry to be unmasked, ignoring a cease-and-desist warning.

A lawyer for a whistleblower told the White House that Trump's rhetoric was placing his client and family in physical danger.

Undeterred by the letter, Trump renewed his attacks on the whistleblower and lawyer on Friday, reports the BBC.

The individual's identity has so far been fiercely guarded by Democrats.

In August, the whistleblower filed a report that eventually triggered impeachment proceeding against Trump.

The report expressed concern over a phone call a month earlier in which Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, a Democratic front-runner for the 2020 US presidential election.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: FacebookVolodymyr ZelenskyJoe Biden
Open in App

Related Stories

TechnologyWhy Australia Is Banning Children Under 16 From Social Media? Here’s the Reason

MumbaiMumbai Crime: Man Arrested for Obscene Social Media Post Targeting Political Family’s Women

BusinessMukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Share Price Jump Over 2% as Facebook Acquires 30% Stake in AI Venture

TechnologyMeta Layoffs: Facebook-Owned Firm to Cut 600 Employees From AI Unit

TechnologyCyber Crime Alert: How WhatsApp and Facebook Can Protect Your Money and Data from Scammers

टेकमेनिया Realted Stories

Technology'No communication received': Vodafone Idea on Cabinet relief reports

TechnologyAuto PLI scheme sees Rs 35,657 crore investment, incentives worth Rs 2,322 crore disbursed

TechnologyIndia’s broadband subscriber base surpasses 1 billion mark in Nov: Govt

TechnologyVande Bharat sleeper train clears 180 kmph high-speed trial

TechnologyAIIMS Bhubaneswar performs first liver transplant successfully; patient recovering well