PragerU Takes
Legal Action Against Google and YouTube for Discrimination
“This is speech discrimination plain and simple,
censorship based entirely on unspecified ideological objection to the message
or on the perceived identity and political viewpoint of the speaker”
- 36th Governor of California Pete Wilson
Browne, George, Ross LLP
- 36th Governor of California Pete Wilson
Browne, George, Ross LLP
LOS ANGELES — Prager University (PragerU) has filed
a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of
California to stop Google and YouTube from unlawfully censoring its educational
videos and discriminating against its right to freedom of speech.
The lawsuit cites more than 50 PragerU videos which have
either been “restricted” or “demonetized” by Google/YouTube. The PragerU videos
range on various subjects presenting a conservative point of view, and include
a video by noted Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz on the founding of
Israel. PragerU previously compiled a complete list of their restricted
videos here,
which includes: “Why America Must Lead,” “The Ten Commandments: Do Not Murder,”
“Why Did America Fight the Korean War,” and “The World’s Most Persecuted
Minority: Christians.”
In correspondence cited in the filing, Google/YouTube
made it clear that the censorship of certain videos was because they were
deemed “inappropriate” for younger audiences.
“Watch any one of our videos and you’ll immediately
realize that Google/YouTube censorship is entirely ideologically driven. For
the record, our videos are presented by some of the finest minds in the Western
world, including four Pulitzer Prize winners, former prime ministers, and
professors from the most prestigious universities in America,” stated PragerU
founder Dennis Prager.
Prager added, “They are engaging in an arbitrary and
capricious use of their ‘restricted mode’ and ‘demonetization’ to restrict
non-left political thought. Their censorship is profoundly damaging because
Google and YouTube own and control the largest forum for public participation
in video-based speech in not only California, but the United States, and the
world.”
The total number of people who currently use YouTube
exceeds 1.3 billion people. Google and YouTube advertise YouTube to the public
as a forum intended to defend and protect free speech where members of the
general public may express and exchange their ideas. They have represented that
their platforms and services are intended to effectuate the exercise of free
speech among the public. According to Google and YouTube: “voices matter.”
YouTube states that it is “committed to fostering a community where everyone’s
voice can be heard.”
“However,” said Eric George of Browne George Ross, the
firm representing PragerU, “Google and YouTube use restricted mode filtering
not to protect younger or sensitive viewers from ‘inappropriate’ video content,
but as a political gag mechanism to silence PragerU. Google and YouTube do this
not because they have identified video content that violates their guidelines
or is otherwise inappropriate for younger viewers, but because PragerU is a
conservative nonprofit organization that is associated with and espouses the
views of leading conservative speakers and scholars.”
“This is speech discrimination plain and simple, censorship
based entirely on unspecified ideological objection to the message or on the
perceived identity and political viewpoint of the speaker,” said former
California Governor Pete Wilson of Browne George Ross. “Google and YouTube’s
use of restricted mode filtering to silence PragerU violates its fundamental
First Amendment rights under both the California and United States
Constitutions. It constitutes unlawful discrimination under California law, is
a misleading and unfair business practice, and breaches the warranty of good
faith and fair dealing implied in Google and YouTube’s own Terms of Use and
'Community Guidelines.'”
“There is absolutely nothing ‘inappropriate’ about the
content of the PragerU videos censored by Google and YouTube; the videos do not
contain any profanity, nudity or otherwise inappropriate ‘mature’ content and
they fully comply with the letter of YouTube’s Terms of Use and Community
Guidelines,” said Marissa Streit, PragerU’s chief executive officer who has
engaged in a year-long-effort to try and persuade Google to stop censoring
PragerU content. Streit continues, “It's clear that someone doesn’t like what
we teach and so they intend on stopping us from teaching it. Can you imagine
what the world would look like if Google is allowed to continue to arbitrarily
censor ideas they simply don’t agree with?”
“This is not a left/right issue. It is a free speech
issue, which is why prominent liberals, such as Harvard law professor Alan
Dershowitz, are supporting our lawsuit,” Prager concluded.
The lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California
is available here.
###
PRESS INQUIRES CONTACT: The KAIROS Company
for Prager University | Johnnie@theKcompany.co | 434-426-5310
Advisory Legal Council:
Former Governor Pete Wilson’s Law Firm, Browne, George and Ross;
Eric George;
Alan Dershowitz;
Barak Lurie, Kelly Shackelford, Mat Staver;
and additional prominent attorneys.
Former Governor Pete Wilson’s Law Firm, Browne, George and Ross;
Eric George;
Alan Dershowitz;
Barak Lurie, Kelly Shackelford, Mat Staver;
and additional prominent attorneys.
PragerU, founded by Dennis Prager in 2011, is a
not-for-profit organization that helps millions understand the values that
shaped America and provides millions of Americans and people around the world
with the intellectual ammunition they need to advocate for limited government,
individual responsibility and economic freedom. In 2016 alone, PragerU’s videos
received over 250 million views, a figure that will eclipse 350 million in
2017. PragerU is a resource for all who value liberty. It is a threat to all those
who do not.
Website | www.PragerU.com
Twitter | @PragerU
A Nation of
Immigrants
PragerU
Published on Aug 20, 2018
The media narrative today is that America has become
“xenophobic” and is turning its back on new immigrants. But that narrative is
sharply contradicted by the fact that the United States maintains the most
generous immigration policies in the world. In this week’s new video, CRTV host
and best-selling author Michelle Malkin explains how ill-conceived immigration
policies threaten to destroy the American Dream for everyone.
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