YouTube to Offer Reinstatement to Banned Creators
Alphabet attorneys told the House Judiciary Committee that YouTube will offer reinstatement to creators whose accounts were terminated under policies the company has since changed — including the phased-out 2020 election fraud rule and the retired standalone COVID-19 restrictions now folded into a broader medical misinformation policy. Fox News reported it obtained a Google document alleging White House pressure to remove alleged COVID-19 misinformation, named high-profile figures such as Dan Bongino, Sebastian Gorka and Steve Bannon as examples of accounts eligible for reinstatement, and quoted a constitutional-law professor calling the move a "huge development" for free-speech advocates.
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Google's decision to walk back Biden-era YouTube account bans hailed as 'huge development' for free speech
New information:
- Fox News reports it obtained a lawyer-authored Google document submitted to the House Judiciary Committee saying White House officials pushed Google to remove alleged COVID-19 misinformation.
- Article names high-profile banned figures (Dan Bongino, Sebastian Gorka, Steve Bannon) as examples of accounts eligible for reinstatement.
- Includes a quoted reaction from constitutional-law professor Jonathan Turley calling Google’s move 'a huge development' for free-speech advocates.
YouTube to start reinstating accounts of creators banned for misinformation
New information:
- Alphabet attorneys told the House Judiciary Committee in a written response that YouTube 'will provide an opportunity for all creators to rejoin the platform' if they were terminated under policies that are no longer in effect.
- YouTube phased out its policy removing content that falsely claimed the 2020 election was marred by 'widespread fraud' in 2023 and retired standalone COVID-19 content restrictions in 2024; COVID content is now governed by a broader medical misinformation policy.
- The company letter includes direct quotes asserting it values conservative voices and accuses senior Biden administration officials of pressuring the company to remove pandemic-related videos.