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Social media star and podcaster Shawn Ryan took to Twitter on Tuesday, August 15, 2023, claiming that several of his episodes were censored by YouTube over religious commentary. Pointing out the various videos censored or taken down by the platform, Ryan warned:
"This is a real thing... Are you picking up the trend? This is gonna start happening to everybody... Feels a lot like persecution... Because that's what it is... Get Ready."
According to Ryan, his video titled, "Brandon Fugal - Owner of the Mysterious Skinwalker Ranch Reveals UAP/UFO Encounters | SRS #70" shared on August 14 was censored, which he believed was because they discussed Brandon finding "faith in Jesus Christ."
He added that YouTube also went through his entire channel and censored other episodes including one with his wife where he spoke about finding faith. In separate instances, they censored a video with Arizona congressional representative Eli Crane and took an episode with Jim Caviezel. Both clips discussed topics like faith, Bible, and Jesus Christ.
Shawn joined YouTube in February 2017 and started his podcast, The Shawn Ryan Show in December 2019.
Shawn Ryan is a former U.S. Navy Seal and CIA contractor
Born in March 1986, the podcaster rose to prominence working with the U.S. government. He dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Navy in July 2001, serving for 14 years.
His LinkedIn profile indicates Ryan's team was deployed across the world. He also served as a government contractor in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2008.
By 2009, Shawn Ryan was working with the CIA in mobile security. He has completed 20 deployments to various war zones across the globe.
In December 2015 he established Vigilance Elite a production company that would later produce The Shawn Ryan Show. The series was initially developed with the intention to "document the untold stories of war, loss, and redemption from the men and women who lived them."
Later, the show would expand to diverse topics in society, culture, and current events like sharing self-help videos, funny product reviews, and instructional videos.
The podcast has hosted various personalities including former Green Beret Mike Glover, Ryan Montgomery, and DJ Shipley among others. The channel boasts a following of over 1.8 million with over 168 million views.
Over the course of the show, Ryan helped coach and assist veterans looking to "apply their skill sets in the civil sector." The podcast also helps give exposure to veterans transitioning to entrepreneurship and with newly established businesses. It has raised over $1 million in crowdfunding in its support.
Shawn Ryan is also a member of Veteran Advocacy Services, an organization dedicated to assisting any veteran to navigate through their medical, economic, social, or situational troubles.
According to his website, the YouTuber is a strong supporter of psychedelic research for mental health and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) treatment for the veteran community.
YouTube's censorship has been widely debated in recent years. According to YouTube's terms of service, a channel is prohibited from posting videos that violate copyrights or depict p*rnography, promoting racism, illegal acts, gratuitous violence, or hate speech. However, its frequent policy changes regarding the matter have left content creators confused.
Shawn Ryan has not commented further on the development.
