WASHINGTON –
YouTube says the channels of a far-right Canadian influencer have been removed after U.S. officials alleged the company she co-founded received US$760,000 in fees and commissions as part of an alleged Russian ploy to dupe right-wing influencers into sowing division among Americans.
An indictment filed Wednesday charged two employees of RT, a Russian state-controlled media outlet, in a US$10-million scheme that purportedly used social media personalities to distribute content with Russian government messaging.
While not explicitly mentioned in court documents, the details match up with Tenet Media, founded by Canadian Lauren Chen and Liam Donovan, who identifies as her husband on social media.
“Following an indictment … and after careful review, we are terminating the Tenet Media channel and four channels operated by its owner Lauren Chen as part of our ongoing efforts to …