Fresh off of receiving multiple Twitter bans, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is now testing the limits of other online platforms.
On Friday, Lindell released a new documentary titled “Absolute Proof,” which claims to lay out, well, “absolute proof” of massive fraud in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
To be clear, Lindell’s film absolutely does not lay out proof of massive fraud in the 2020 election. Instead, it rehashes the same tired lies and conspiracy theories that President Trump and his high profile supporters, such as Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, have pushed for months in their various unsuccessful legal challenges.
However, what Lindell’s film has proven is just how serious major social media platforms are taking their efforts to combat misinformation surrounding the election results, now three months out from election day.
The MyPillow CEO originally uploaded the film to Vimeo and embedded the video player on his official website. Around an hour after the film was made public, Vimeo removed “Absolute Proof” from its platform.
A screenshot of Lindell’s website after Vimeo removed his “Absolute Proof” video.
Image: mashable screenshot
“The video in question has been removed for violating our policies relating to the spread of misleading claims about the 2020 presidential election and its aftermath,” explained Vimeo in a statement provided to Mashable. “There is no place on the Vimeo platform for content that does — or can — cause harm of any kind.”
Lindell quickly uploaded his film to YouTube and embedded the new version on his website. At first, Lindell misspelled the film’s title as “Absolue Proof,” a common tactic utilized by YouTubers trying to avoid detection by the platform’s automated content system.
However, the misspelling in the title of the film was eventually corrected. A few hours later, Lindell’s film was also removed by YouTube. In a statement to Mashable, the Google-owned platform said, “Per our presidential election integrity policy, we remove content uploaded after the safe harbor deadline that advances false claims that widespread fraud, errors, or glitches changed the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. We removed this video in accordance with this policy.”
A screenshot of Lindell’s website after YouTube removed his “Absolute Proof” video.
Image: mashable screenshot
Lindell’s website currently showcases the his film via a video embed from StreamHoster, a paid video hosting service.
Throughout the day, third parties have been consistently uploading Lindell’s film to mainstream platforms like YouTube, and they’ve also been removed. The video has, of course, found a home on right wing platforms like Gab, CloutHub, and Rumble.
Lindell also paid for multiple hours-long advertising spots on the conservative cable channel One America News Network (OANN), according to the network, where the film will be played in full throughout the day.
Before each airing of Lindell’s film, OANN has been broadcasting a disclaimer.
“Mr. Lindell is the sole author and executive producer of this program and is solely and exclusively responsible for its content,” says the narrator as he reads the displayed text. “This program is not the product of OAN’s reporting.”
However, OANN had previously promoted Lindell’s video on its social media channels. This is an odd move for a TV network that’s simply broadcasting a paid infomercial.
Join MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for a never-before-seen report breaking down election fraud evidence & showing how the unprecedented level of voter fraud was committed in the 2020 Presidential Election.
Tune in to “Absolute Proof” with Mike Lindell on February 5th. Only on #OANN. pic.twitter.com/Qamcbpy2Ef— One America News (@OANN) February 5, 2021
Dominion Voting Systems, an electronic voting machine and software company whose technology was used during the 2020 election, has been a constant target of attacks from right-wing conspiracy theorists, including Mike Lindell. In fact, Dominion has previously sent Lindell a cease and desist order over his conspiratorial claims about the company. The company has begun taking legal action against those spreading unfounded claims about the integrity of the election, including a $1.3 billion suit against Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell.
It’s recently been reported that Dominion Voting Systems is looking into filing a similar lawsuit against OANN for its role in spreading falsehoods about the company.
In a statement provided to Law&Crime, Thomas Clare, a legal representative for Dominion classified OANN’s disclaimer as a “nice try.”
“It definitely does not relieve them of liability,” said Clare.
Lindell has been one of Trump’s most fervent supporters. In Trump’s final days in office, Lindell even made a trip to the White House to show the president the very same election fraud conspiracies he’s promoting in his film.
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