YouTube to reinstate creators banned under Covid-19, election content
“No matter the political atmosphere, YouTube will continue to enable free expression on its platform, particularly on issues subject to political debate,” the letter stated
YouTube will allow creators who were banned for violating its now-defunct Covid-19 and election misinformation policies to return to the platform, parent company Alphabet said Tuesday.
In a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, Alphabet attorneys said the decision reflects YouTube's commitment to free speech, noting that the company values conservative voices and their role in civic debate.
"No matter the political atmosphere, YouTube will continue to enable free expression on its platform, particularly on issues subject to political debate," the letter stated.
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The move comes as major tech companies continue rolling back content moderation rules initially imposed during the pandemic and after the 2020 US election. These restrictions, once aimed at curbing misinformation, have since drawn criticism from President Donald Trump and other conservatives who argue such measures unfairly silenced right-leaning voices.
YouTube ended its policy against claims of widespread fraud in past US presidential elections in 2023, and in 2024 retired its standalone Covid-19 misinformation rules, folding them into its broader medical misinformation policy.
Prominent conservative influencers — among them Dan Bongino, now deputy director of the FBI — were previously banned under those rules. For creators, reinstatement also means regaining access to YouTube monetization, a major source of income through advertising.
Alphabet's lawyers alleged that senior officials in the Biden administration pressured the company to remove pandemic-related videos, even when they did not breach YouTube's policies. "It is unacceptable and wrong when any government, including the Biden Administration, attempts to dictate how the Company moderates content," the letter said, adding that YouTube consistently defended its practices on First Amendment grounds.
Other tech leaders have echoed similar concerns. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg accused the Biden administration of exerting pressure on his company during the pandemic, while Elon Musk claimed Twitter was coerced by the FBI before his ownership to suppress reporting on Hunter Biden.
The US Supreme Court last year sided with the Biden administration in a case challenging the government's authority to counter misinformation on social media, particularly concerning Covid-19 and election security.
YouTube has not yet provided details on how the reinstatement process will work.
