Rumble Rejects UK MP Request To Deplatform Russell Brand Over Unproven Sexual Allegations
Rumble Rejects UK MP Request To Deplatform Russell Brand Over Unproven Sexual Allegations
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Dame Caroline Dinenage, chairwoman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of United Kingdom's Parliament, sent out letters Wednesday, to several social media companies suggesting they demonetize and deplatform comedian Russell Brand over unproven sexual allegations made in a seemingly coordinated hit pieces published by several far-left media outlets. YouTube already demonetized Brand's channel.
“I am writing concerning the serious allegations regarding Russell Brand, in the context of his being a content provider on Rumble with more than 1.4 million followers,” Dame Caroline wrote in a letter to video streaming platform Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski. She said the parliamentary committee is probing all broadcasters and production companies “who previously employed Mr. Brand” to determine “the culture of the industry” in the wake of the allegations.
Dame Caroline also inquired whether Brand was monetizing his content on Rumble and whether the platform had any intention of suspending his ability to earn money from it. “While we recognize that Rumble is not the creator of the content published by Mr. Brand, we are concerned that he may be able to profit from his content on the platform,” she wrote. “If so, we would like to know whether Rumble intends to join YouTube in suspending Mr. Brand's ability to earn money on the platform.”
Responding, Rumble condemned UK Parliament's attempt to control content moderation and who is allowed to speak and earn a living on their platform.
"We regard it as deeply inappropriate and dangerous that the UK Parliament would attempt to control who is allowed to speak on our platform or to earn a living from doing so," Rumble wrote in their response; adding that the government official's inquiry about whether it would turn off Brand's ability to monetize his videos was "even more disturbing given the absence of any connection between the allegations and his content on Rumble."
"We emphatically reject the UK Parliament's demands," Rumble added.
Responding to concerns raised by Dame Caroline about creators using the platform to undermine the welfare of victims of inappropriate and potentially illegal behavior; Rumble said they do not agree with the behavior of many Rumble creators but refuse to penalize them for actions unrelated to their platform.
CEO Pavlovski also wrote on X: "The attacks on Rumble are relentless, from all angles, and accelerating Having the support of the people to defend what's right (constitutional values) is all I need to keep taking the punches and moving forward I can never thank our supporters enough for getting behind us."
Dame Caroline sent similar letters to TikTok, X and others.
In letter to X, Dame Caroline asked if owner Elon Musk, “has personally intervened in any decisions on Russell Brand’s status on the platform.” Brand's X account with 11.2 million followers, is still active, and Musk himself had expressed support for the British comedian against the unproven allegations.
“We would be grateful if you could confirm whether Mr Brand monetises his content and, if so, we would like to know whether X intends to join YouTube in suspending Mr Brand’s ability to earn money on the platform," Dame Caroline wrote to CEO Linda Yaccarino. “Given Elon Musk’s response to Mr Brand’s tweet regarding the allegations, where he wrote ‘Of course. They don’t like competition’, we are also keen to understand whether Mr Musk has personally intervened in any decisions on Mr Brand’s status on the platform. We would also like to know what X is doing to ensure that creators are not able to use the platform to undermine the welfare of victims of inappropriate and potentially illegal behaviour.”
Responding to a similar letter to TikTok where he has 2.3 million followers, the platform's vice president of public policy Europe Theo Bertram said his company is “committed to providing a space that embraces gender equity, supports healthy relationships, and respects intimate privacy” and bans accounts from people who have been found to have committed serious offences.
Bertram added that Brand had never been part of its content creator monetisation programme, called the TikTok Creator Fund. “As with all content on our platform, we continue to keep Mr Brand’s content under review and will remain vigilant in this regard,” he said.
The letters drew the ire of many on social media with Rumble trending. Critics slammed Dame Caroline and her committee for using fascist and authoritarian tactics to coerce social media companies into deplatforming private law abiding individuals.
"This seems out of line. Accusations do not mean someone is guilty," Musk wrote on X, reacting to the letter. "That is for the courts to decide." He has also said Brand "is not suspended on this platform. Innocent until proven guilty.”
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