YouTube suspended Donald Trump's channel for at least a week amid concerns about "continued risk of violence," becoming the latest platform to limit the US president's online activity.
The Google-owned video platform said it removed content uploaded to Donald J. Trump's channel on January 12 for inciting violence, although it was not immediately clear which particular videos were in violation of the rules.
"After careful review and in light of concerns about the risk of continued violence, we removed new content uploaded to the Donald J. Trump channel and issued a notice for violating our incitement to violence policies," said a YouTube spokesperson. in an emailed statement.
Based on this suspension, the channel will not be able to upload videos or broadcast live for at least seven days, although it is still active, YouTube explained.
Comments on the channel have been disabled indefinitely, the platform added. According to YouTube policy, a second notice would mean a two-week suspension, and a third, a permanent ban on the account.
Steps to reduce the president's activity on social media were taken after a mob of his followers, encouraged by his rhetoric, stormed the Capitol last week to try to prevent Congress from certifying the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.
Tech companies have acted to suspend Trump's online posts, with Facebook and Instagram paralyzing their accounts until at least the end of his term, and Twitter permanently. Other networks, like Reddit and Snapchat, have also vetoed it. Online shopping network Shopify has removed Trump's stores from its platform.
Others like Apple and Google pulled Parler, a popular social network among Trump supporters, from their app stores. Parler's website also went offline this week after Amazon stopped offering him hosting services.