It’s not a war of words, but there have been some angry exchanges between Senator Joe Lieberman and YouTube about the video-hosting site displaying content by Al-Queda, along with other terrorist groups antagonistic to the US.
Lieberan’s initial complaint came after seeing videos showing the killing of American troops along with other propaganda videos. He was outraged by what he saw and made a demand that YouTube remove them.
"Protecting our citizens from terrorist attacks is a top priority for our government. The private sector can help us do that," Lieberman said. "By taking action to curtail the use of YouTube to disseminate the goals and methods of those who wish to kill innocent civilians, Google will make a singularly important contribution to this important national effort."
YouTube did remove around 80 videos, but has refused to do more, stating that the content does not violate its terms. That’s infuriated the Senator, who believes all terrorist propaganda should be removed. In a blog post, YouTube responded by saying:
"While we respect and understand his views, YouTube encourages free speech and defends everyone’s right to express unpopular points of view. We believe that YouTube is a richer and more relevant platform for users precisely because it hosts a diverse range of views, and rather than stifle debate we allow our users to view all acceptable content and make up their own minds."
