Google has blocked more than 16,000 Azerbaijani channels on YouTube between 2021 and 2024 for spreading content critical of Armenia and praising Azerbaijan’s government, according to the company’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG).

The largest crackdown occurred in 2024, with over 14,000 channels shut down in a single year—accounting for 87% of all blocked accounts under this investigation, according to "Hetq".

Google first addressed Azerbaijani propaganda networks in its reports in Q2 2021, when it took down 33 channels in June for supporting Azerbaijan’s military. Experts noted that these accounts operated similarly to fake propaganda networks previously exposed by Facebook.

Back in October 2020, Facebook (now Meta) uncovered a coordinated Azerbaijani propaganda network using fake accounts to spread content in Azerbaijani, Russian, and English. These posts covered regional developments, politics, and Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, praising President Ilham Aliyev and the ruling "Yeni Azerbaijan" party while dismissing human rights violations allegations against Azerbaijan’s government. Opposition figures, meanwhile, were accused of treason.

Following Facebook’s findings, Google launched its own in-depth investigation into Azerbaijani-linked propaganda. The number of blocked channels increased significantly—from 33 in 2021 to 516 in 2022, before peaking in 2024.

Google's Threat Analysis Group emphasized that the blocked channels represent only part of a broader Azerbaijani propaganda network, specifically targeting Armenia. These takedowns resulted from internal investigations rather than standard YouTube policy violations.

According to reports, tracking of this network began in June 2024, with the number of banned channels rising monthly. However, the reports do not disclose figures on video views, content reach, or geographical impact. Nonetheless, the scale of the operation suggests Azerbaijan has invested significant resources in digital information warfare.

Notably, Azerbaijani propaganda operations ranked third in scale in 2024, following only Chinese and Russian campaigns.

Additionally, in October 2023, Google blocked 57 more Azerbaijani-run channels spreading content about Nagorno-Karabakh in Russian, Azerbaijani, and Turkish. These channels were linked to Russia, yet their content was mainly critical of both Russia and Armenia.

Google's Threat Analysis Group previously also highlighted the blocking of Armenian-language content, noting that pro-Russian narratives were being spread in Armenian and Georgian on Google News.

While it is difficult to assess the true impact of Azerbaijani propaganda, the high number of blocked channels indicates a well-funded, large-scale effort. Tech companies often reference each other’s findings, revealing systematic disinformation campaigns.