Instead of acknowledging that censorship is out of fashion by popular demand for free speech, Big Tech platforms attacked free speech in March.
Google’s YouTube provided cover for fellow tech giant Wikipedia’s bias, as X, shockingly, suspended a user for deploring sexual grooming of children. LinkedIn is still in a rut of COVID-19 vaccine censorship, while TikTok “permanently banned” a news influencer and suppressed criticism of transgenderism.
Below are the worst censorship cases of March 2025, logged in MRC’s unique CensorTrack database.
Google-owned YouTube targeted a journalist for calling out Wikipedia bias. YouTube placed an age restriction on veteran journalist John Stossel’s April 2022 video detailing Wikipedia’s extreme leftist bent. “This video may be inappropriate for some users,” the platform’s notification covering the video asserted. In order to view the video, users must verify their age by logging in and proceed to click through the notification warning that reads “I understand and wish to proceed.” It is unclear how long the age restriction has been on the two-year-old video. Age restrictions can have a significant impact on the reach of a video, as Good Kid Productions CEO Rob Montz explained in an op-ed for The Daily Wire after YouTube age-restricted one of his videos in December of 2022. “In practice, age restriction is a death knell: The video can’t be embedded on external websites; viewers have to sign in before they can watch it; and it receives scant – if any – boost from YouTube’s recommendation algorithm, which is a crucial source of views,” Montz explained.
X inexplicably suspended a user for condemning pedophilia. An X user who goes by the username “Magnus X” shared a screenshot on X on March 12 showing that X had deleted his post that included a Biblical reference. “@AntiWokeMemes ‘we should accept that pedophilia is a sexual preference.' Oh hell no! Better to tie a millstone around your neck and cast yourself into the ocean rather than harm a child,” the user posted, referencing Luke 17:2. The screenshot indicates that Magnus X filed an appeal, but it is unclear whether the appeal was successful. The user's March 4 comment was a reply to a post published by @AntiWokeMemes. While it is not certain which post specifically Magnus X responded to in the censored comment, on that same day, @AntiWokeMemes had posted an image of a drag queen performing in front of a group that included babies, toddlers and adults.
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn censored a doctor for criticizing mRNA vaccines. On March 20, Vinay Prasad MD posted on X, “Wtf @LinkedIn removed my post with 5 reasons why mRNA vaccines technology should be deprioritized for NIH funded[sic .] This censorship of academics by idiots continues.” He tagged Martin Kulldorff, an outspoken critic of mainstream COVID-19 policies, in his post. The screenshot Prasad shared showed the censorship notification from LinkedIn: “Only you can see this post. It has been removed because it goes against our Professional Community Policies.”
TikTok repeatedly targeted critiques of transgender ideology. On March 3, TikTok issued an “Account ban warning” to a user called “Hollywood is Dead” on X, who shared a screenshot of comments apparently referring to “transgender” individual Dylan Mulvaney. “Dylan is a man,” said one deleted comment. X user Thebluntxp also shared a screenshot of a TikTok notice about a deleted comment in response to Rep. Keith Self (R-TX), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Europe Subcommittee, who referred to "transgender" congressman Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE) as “Mr. McBride.” Thebluntxp posted, “there is an executive order signed by Trump that states that there are only two genders now. So the Chairman wasn't wrong. His colleague's theatrics was just to solicitate [sic] support from the LGBTQ.” TikTok accused “your content violates our Community Guidelines and cannot be restored.” On March 13, when another user asked of McBride, “Is that a dude?” TikTok deleted the comment.
TikTok “permanently” banned a news influencer before quietly restoring the account. On March 28, TikTok “permanently banned” the verified account of Dylan Page, who hosts the News Daddy show for an audience of 15 million on TikTok. Page posted on his Instagram Story that TikTok sent him a notification saying he was “permanently banned due to multiple violations of our Community Guidelines.” TikTok apparently did not clarify how Page had violated the guidelines or why he could not appeal the decision. Page also insisted that he was not aware of any previous Community Guidelines violations. By March 31, however, TikTok had restored Page’s account to the app.
