As a parent, human being, and a long-time subscriber of YouTube, I find it disheartening to witness an escalating trend of censorship on the platform. Born and raised in America, like many others, I have faced trials and tribulations for basic general decency and respect. Nonetheless, no one has been able to infringe on my freedom of speech, self, and beliefs. Until now.

For years now, my family and I have been supporting YouTube through paid subscriptions. But our hard-earned dollars have been rewarded with unwarranted restraints. Messages get deleted and the ability to comment is frequently suspended. Despite these comment not defying any established YouTube policy, they disappear. This trend suggests a pattern of silencing voices based on political bias rather than based on policy violations.

In America, where over 73 million people actively use YouTube every day (Statista, 2020), users deserve to have their voices heard. They should be able to express their opinions without fear of suppression, especially when they are financially contributing to that platform. YouTube's current course of action not only disregards its users' rights to free speech but also disrespects its paying members by offering them a diminished service.

This isn't just about a single platform, but about the preservation of free speech in the digital space. This is a call to YouTube to stop the unwarranted and unjust censorship and to uphold the values of Free Speech that we hold dear. A plea to the platform to operate in a fair, bias-free manner, respecting each user's right to express their opinion.

Let your voice count. Join me in demanding that YouTube respects the rights of its users, paid or otherwise. Sign this petition and stand for Free Speech.