Civil Society Organizations Call for Transparency and Preventive Measures
In March and April, the YouTube channels of four civil society organizations—MINBYUN (Lawyers for a Democratic Society), the Independence Union, the Korean Peace Solidarity for Sovereignty and Reunification, and the Korean Plant Construction Workers Union—were taken down by YouTube. The takedowns cited violations of YouTube’s moderation policy for “spam, deception, and fraud.” In response, Open Net and the Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet convened with the affected organizations and raised the issue with Google’s Global Human Rights Policy team, which has been collaborating with them on internet freedom in Southeast Asia. Following the meeting, all four channels were reinstated on May 20. While the organizations welcomed this corrective action, they are now calling for greater transparency in the appeals process to prevent such incidents from recurring.
A central concern is the lack of clarity surrounding the removals. The common thread among the affected channels was their publication of videos either criticizing former President Yoon Suk-yeol for allegedly attempting to provoke war with North Korea to justify martial law or expressing support for his removal from office. These videos saw a sudden surge in views and abusive engagement before the channels were taken down—without warning or thorough review by YouTube. The removals caused the organizations to lose years of content documenting their work, none of which had been backed up because they hadn’t expected sudden takedowns at all. YouTube’s notices failed to specify which content violated its policies, offering only vague references to “spam,” “deceptive practices,” or “fraud.” This ambiguity has left organizations hesitant to make another account for their channels for fear of arbitrary removal without clear notification.
Although Google’s Human Rights Policy team informed the organizations that an internal review found no policy violations and reinstated the channels, no detailed explanation has been provided. The organizations urge Google to establish a transparent and accountable process that allows publishers to respond when similar harms occur.
Furthermore, the organizations also call on the government and the National Assembly to revise the relevant legal framework. Currently, the Information and Communications Network Act only outlines procedures for remedying harm to individuals caused by online content, but does not provide any recourse for content creators whose rights are unjustly infringed by information and communications service providers (platform operators). It is necessary to establish a legal obligation for platforms to respond in good faith to publishers’ requests and to create mechanisms—such as dispute resolution procedures—to protect and restore publishers’ rights in cases of unfair infringement by platforms.
May 21, 2025
MINBYUN (Lawyers for a Democratic Society), the Independence Union, the Korean Peace Solidarity for Sovereignty and Reunification, and the Korean Plant Construction Workers Union, Open Net, the Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet
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