X

Google's Sundar Pichai: YouTube should have diverse opinions -- but not abuse

A member of Congress asks how YouTube combats the spread of white supremacy.

Joan E. Solsman Former Senior Reporter
Joan E. Solsman was CNET's senior media reporter, covering the intersection of entertainment and technology. She's reported from locations spanning from Disneyland to Serbian refugee camps, and she previously wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. She bikes to get almost everywhere and has been doored only once.
Expertise Streaming video, film, television and music; virtual, augmented and mixed reality; deep fakes and synthetic media; content moderation and misinformation online Credentials
  • Three Folio Eddie award wins: 2018 science & technology writing (Cartoon bunnies are hacking your brain), 2021 analysis (Deepfakes' election threat isn't what you'd think) and 2022 culture article (Apple's CODA Takes You Into an Inner World of Sign)
See full bio
Joan E. Solsman
Google CEO Sundar Pichai Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee

Google CEO Sundar Pichai testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC. 

 Getty Images

YouTube should include diverse opinions, but videos that violate it policies should -- and are -- removed, Google CEO  Sundar Pichai said Tuesday before the House Judiciary Committee.

Pichai was responding to Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, the ranking member of the committee, who asked how the massive video site fights the spread of white supremacy and political extremism.

" YouTube  is an important platform. We do want to allow for diverse perspectives and opinions, but we have rules of the road," Pichai said. "When we find violations on our policies, we do remove those videos."

Pichai leads the company running the world's largest search engine, the biggest free video streaming service in YouTube and the most popular operating system for phones worldwide with Android. But like other tech giants,   Google  and YouTube have faced intensified scrutiny in the last two years on issues such as data privacy, offensive videos, political bias and the company's work in China. 

Watch this: YouTube says it's working on growing up

For the Republican-led House, a big topic of discussion has been alleged bias against conservatives on Google's platforms, including YouTube. 

Pichai repeatedly emphasized YouTube's and Google's political neutrality in what it surfaces. On YouTube, Pichai said, the company examines potential violations on a video-by-video basis, but it does take into account repeat offenders. 

Tech Culture: From film and television to social media and games, here's your place for the lighter side of tech. 

CNET's Holiday Gift Guide: The place to find the best tech gifts for 2018.