Saudi Arabia calls on YouTube to remove ‘offensive’ ads

Social media platform “YouTube” is displayed on a smartphone screen in Ankara, Turkiye on 9 February 2022 [Mehmet Ali Özcan/Anadolu Agency]

The authorities in Saudi Arabia called yesterday for YouTube to remove advertisements “offensive to Islamic values and principles” that have gone viral on the platform in recent days.

The kingdom’s General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM) and Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) have requested YouTube — which is affiliated to Google — “to remove these advertisements and to comply with the [kingdom’s] regulations; and that it will be placed under ongoing follow-up.”

The warnings have come after there were many complaints about indecent YouTube ads, which do not suit public taste in Saudi Arabia.

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