YouTube suspends Rudy Giuliani from ads over election lies

YouTube said it suspended Rudy Giuliani from its partner program for at least 30 days after he repeatedly shared misinformation about the 2020 presidential election.

YouTube has been criticized for being slow to crack down on high-profile users who violated its policies in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. (REUTERS)

YouTube said it suspended Rudy Giuliani from its partner program for at least 30 days after he repeatedly shared misinformation about the 2020 presidential election.

The move means the former New York City mayor and Donald Trump attorney can't make money from advertising on his videos, a benefit for partners. That limitation has been in effect since last week, YouTube said Tuesday.

Guiliani was also temporarily suspended from uploading videos for one week, a restriction that has expired. The world's largest video website, owned by Alphabet Inc.'s Google, also shut off Giuliani's access to some YouTube features, such as partner support. He can re-apply to the partner program after 30 days, if he resolves the reasons for his suspension, the company said.

Giuliani promulgated conspiracies and other misleading claims about the November US presidential election, which Joe Biden won. For the last year, the conservative firebrand has hosted a show on his YouTube channel called “Common Sense.”

On Jan. 15, Giuliani wrote on Twitter that YouTube removed an episode entitled, “This Has NEVER OCCURRED In US History,” in which he rehashes unfounded claims about the election being stolen and asserts that Biden is a criminal.

Giuliani recommended his Twitter followers watch his videos on Rumble, a Toronto-based website that has recently grown more popular with conservative content creators. The last upload on his YouTube channel, which has 583,000 followers, was Jan. 1.

YouTube has been criticised for being slow to crack down on high-profile users who violated its policies in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The company toughened its stance recently, preventing Trump from uploading new videos to his channel in the waning days of his administration, citing the risk he might incite violence. The service also banned Steve Bannon's podcast after Giuliani appeared on an episode in early January and shared election misinformation.

YouTube can permanently block users from the video platform if they break the company's rules three times.