Neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville. Photo: Screenshot.

The Anti-Defamation League on Wednesday praised YouTube for its decision to remove extremist content from its website.

On its official blog, YouTube said it had been “partnering closely with lawmakers and civil society around the globe to limit the spread of violent extremist content online.”

As a result, it chose to prohibit “videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status.”

“This would include, for example, videos that promote or glorify Nazi ideology, which is inherently discriminatory,” the company explained. “Finally, we will remove content denying that well-documented violent events, like the Holocaust or the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, took place.”

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt commented on the decision, saying, “Online hate and extremism pose a significant threat — weaponizing bigotry against marginalized communities, silencing voices through intimidation, and acting as recruiting tools for hateful, fringe groups.”

“That’s why ADL has been working with technology companies, including YouTube, to aggressively counter hate on their platforms,” he added. “We were glad to share our expertise on this and look forward to continuing to provide input.”

“While this is an important step forward, this move alone is insufficient and must be followed by many more changes from YouTube and other tech companies to adequately counter the scourge of online hate and extremism,” Greenblatt noted.