Summary:
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YouTube will reinstate creators banned for COVID-19 and election misinformation, citing free expression commitment.
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Reinstatement program follows changes to YouTube’s moderation policies, including stopping removal of content claiming the 2020 election was stolen.
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Alphabet lawyer confirms the move, stating conservative voices play an important role in civic discourse on the platform.
YouTube will allow creators who were permanently banned for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and the 2020 election to apply for reinstatement, the company confirmed Tuesday.
The shift was outlined in a letter from Alphabet lawyer Daniel Donovan to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan. Donovan wrote that channels terminated under rules that no longer exist, specifically those targeting COVID-19 misinformation and election denial, will be eligible to return.
“Reflecting the company’s commitment to free expression, YouTube will provide an opportunity for all creators to rejoin the platform if the company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and election integrity policies that are no longer in effect,” the letter said.
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The move follows a series of changes to YouTube’s moderation policies. In 2023, the platform stopped removing content that claimed the 2020 U.S. election was stolen. A year later, it scrapped its dedicated COVID-19 misinformation rules, shifting those cases into its broader medical misinformation policy.
On X, YouTube described the reinstatement program as a “limited pilot project” and said it would be available to “a subset of creators” who had been banned under the old rules.
Some of the highest-profile figures who may benefit from the change include Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., CNBC reported. Their channels were among those removed for repeated policy violations.
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“YouTube values conservative voices on its platform and recognizes that these creators have extensive reach and play an important role in civic discourse,” Donovan wrote in the letter.
Political Pressure
The decision comes after years of criticism from Republicans who argued tech companies unfairly targeted right-wing voices. Jordan and other lawmakers accused the Biden administration of pressuring platforms to silence speech during the pandemic and following the 2020 election.
Alphabet’s lawyers said senior Biden officials “conducted repeated and sustained outreach” to the company to remove pandemic-related content, including videos that did not violate its rules. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and X owner Elon Musk have made similar claims about White House pressure campaigns.
Last year, the Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration in a case that challenged the government’s role in social media moderation.
YouTube has not said how many creators could qualify for reinstatement or what the application process will look like. A company spokesperson declined to comment further.
The reversal adds to a wave of content moderation rollbacks across tech platforms, which tightened rules during the pandemic but have since loosened restrictions under pressure from conservatives and the Trump campaign.
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