Google LLC said it disabled 210 channels on YouTube LLC after it discovered that they behaved in a coordinated manner while uploading videos related to the Hong Kong protests.
In an Aug. 22 blog post, Shane Huntley, who leads Google's Threat Analysis Group, said the company found the use of VPNs and other methods to disguise the origin of these accounts.
Huntley said the discovery of the channels was consistent with recent actions related to China announced by Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc.
The Alphabet Inc. unit recently moved to protect users in Kazakhstan, following reports that users in the country were required to download and install a government-issued certificate, enabling the government to snoop into users' browsing activities and data, including account information and passwords.
Google's Threat Analysis Group detects attempts at phishing and hacking, identifies influence operations and protects users from digital attacks.
