You Tube Appears to Be Making Money Off of Sanctioned Iranians’ Accounts | WIRED

Overview

You Tube Appears to Be Making Money Off of Sanctioned Iranians’ Accounts

As the US war with Iran continues to roil the Middle East, new research shared exclusively with WIRED shows that You Tube is hosting and possibly profiting from dozens of channels linked to US-sanctioned groups linked to the Iranian government, including many with direct ties to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Details

The research, from the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project, identified more than 75 channels that appear to be run by entities that have been officially sanctioned by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which has been enforcing sanctions against Iran for decades.

The channels have been monetized, meaning that You Tube runs ads on their videos that generate revenue. The researchers documented ads for companies ranging from Subaru to Verizon, Turbo Tax, the weight-loss drug Ozempic, and fast-food outlet KFC. In one case, the researchers observed an ad for the US Customs and Border Protection running on a video produced by Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts.

“That means You Tube placed an ad paid for with US tax dollars on a channel for an Iranian government ministry,” the researchers wrote. US Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment.

“The numerous holders of all these You Tube channels include Iranian individuals and entities that aren’t just subject to the comprehensive US embargo on Iran, but sanctioned by OFAC under a variety of its sanctions programs, including counterterrorism, nonproliferation, human rights abuses, or those specific to the Iranian government more generally,” Kian Meshkat, an attorney specializing in US economic sanctions who reviewed the research, tells WIRED.

“Google is committed to compliance with applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws,” says Google spokesperson Nate Funkhouser. “If we find that an account violates our policies, we take appropriate action.”

You Tube was officially banned in Iran in 2012, but it continues to be used by the regime to share propaganda. Google’s own publisher policies, which apply to You Tube, make it clear that the company’s ad tools “may not be used for or on behalf” of parties in Iran.

In 2024, You Tube did take some action, shutting down an account associated with Iran’s foreign ministry. ”Due to established US sanctions, Iran's state-owned channels are not permitted on You Tube,” the company said at the time.

TTP’s researchers trawled the platform for the names of individuals directly sanctioned by the US as a threat to national security, as well as for accounts seemingly run by Iranian government officials, identifying a total of 84 channels. All showed ads in the videos on their channels, including in-feed ads, in-stream ads, and You Tube Shorts ads.

Among the sanctioned individuals identified were Babak Zanjani, a businessman helping Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps evade sanctions; Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran’s new supreme leader who threatened US forces in the region; and Naji Sharifi Zindashti, who is accused of targeting Iranian dissidents abroad for assassination, including two residents of Maryland.

Al-Mustafa International University, an Iranian Islamic seminary school sanctioned in 2020 for indoctrinating and recruiting foreign intelligence sources, has at least four You Tube channels, according to the researchers, including English- and French-language channels. The channels, which feature video courses and lectures, were monetized with in-stream and in-feed ads, including ads for BJ’s Wholesale Club and Warner Bros.’ horror film They Will Kill You.

Among the government entities identified as having You Tube channels showing ads was Iran’s Counterterrorism Special Forces unit, which has been accused of using lethal force on unarmed protesters. Iran’s state broadcaster, the Fars News Agency, which is well known for spreading disinformation and propaganda, also has a You Tube channel showing ads.

Most of the channels have been in operation for many years, racking up millions of views. There is little advertisers can do to avoid showing up in those videos, because Google does not allow companies to opt out, as it does for categories like terrorist content or animal abuse. It’s even more concerning, says TTP director Katie Paul, when US government advertisers are involved.

The researchers could not confirm whether You Tube was breaching US sanctions by running ads on these channels, as it is unclear if the platform is sharing ad revenue with them. You Tube began hiding which channels were getting a cut of its ad revenue in 2023, meaning it is unclear if any of the sanctioned entities are earning money from the ads running on their channels.

Google did not respond to questions about whether the accounts listed in the report were receiving a share of the ad revenue.

Even without sharing revenue, You Tube may be violating sanctions, as OFAC states that US nationals and companies are prohibited from contributing services “to or for the benefit of any blocked person.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment. “Technology companies should be aware of US sanctions and understand their compliance risks and conduct due diligence to prevent violations,” a Treasury spokesperson tells WIRED.

You Tube is not the only US tech company potentially breaching US sanctions on Iran. In February, WIRED revealed that X could be breaching sanctions for appearing to accept money from Iranian government officials for premium accounts.

For US tech companies like X and You Tube, there are exemptions to the sanctions against the Iranian government. One, issued in 2022, allows US tech companies to provide access to their platforms in Iran, so that ordinary citizens can share information with the outside world. The exemption means Iranian government officials can also use these platforms, but it does not allow for financial transactions with the government of Iran.

Meshkat adds that even if You Tube’s provision of services to sanctioned individuals or Iranian government channels qualifies for an exemption, “it is difficult to discern how, without separate OFAC authorization, some of these parties provided with a channel are enabled to market or advertise themselves with their own promotional videos. The exemption has typically excluded from its scope the provision of marketing services to sanctioned parties.”

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Key Takeaways

You Tube Appears to Be Making Money Off of Sanctioned Iranians’ Accounts
As the US war with Iran continues to roil the Middle East, new research shared exclusively with WIRED shows that You Tube is hosting and possibly profiting from dozens of channels linked to US-sanctioned groups linked to the Iranian government, including many with direct ties to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
The research, from the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project, identified more than 75 channels that appear to be run by entities that have been officially sanctioned by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which has been enforcing sanctions against Iran for decades
The channels have been monetized, meaning that You Tube runs ads on their videos that generate revenue
“That means You Tube placed an ad paid for with US tax dollars on a channel for an Iranian government ministry,” the researchers wrote