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SALT LAKE CITY — YouTube announced that they deleted two channels on their platform linked to influencer Ruby Franke, who was recently charged with child abuse.
The investigation into the "8 Passengers" YouTube star began when Franke's 12-year-old malnourished son ran to a neighbor's house and asked them to call the police.
“We can confirm that we have terminated two channels linked to Ruby Franke in accordance with our creator responsibility guidelines, " YouTube spokesman, Jack Malon said.
Following her arrest and statements from law enforcement, YouTube terminated the channels. YouTube explained that there are a few different circumstances that warrant termination of a channel: if a channel owner is accused with clear evidence of a very egregious crime, if the channel owner was convicted or pled guilty, and if the content of the video is closely related to the crime.
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Additionally, Malon said Franke will no longer be able to use, own, or create any other YouTube channels, in accordance with the repeat infringer police listed in YouTube's Terms of Service.
If YouTube is made aware of a channel that is re-uploading content from a previously terminated channel, it said it may remove that content or terminate the new channel if it's dedicated to reuploads.
YouTube said "All users on YouTube must follow our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, and if a user's off-platform behavior harms the YouTube community, we may suspend monetization or terminate their channel."
KSL TV obtained the 911 call that led to the arrest of Ruby Franke and her friend, Jodi Hildebrandt, on child abuse charges. Concerns about Franke and her business partner were reported to police over a year before they were arrested. Springville Police visited Franke’s home 15 times between March 2019 and August 31, 2023.
