Overview

• In a letter to Chairman Jim Jordan, Alphabet said YouTube will allow creators terminated for repeated violations of now-defunct COVID-19 and election integrity policies to seek reentry.
• The company acknowledged sustained outreach from senior Biden officials pressing removal of COVID-related content that did not violate YouTube rules, calling such pressure unacceptable and wrong.
• YouTube said the specific COVID-19 and election integrity policies used to remove channels through 2024 and 2023, respectively, are no longer in effect as its guidelines now permit a wider range of content.
• Alphabet stated YouTube never banned discussion of COVID-19 origins and said it will not empower third-party fact-checkers to label or take action on content across its services.
• Details on eligibility, process and timing were not provided, leaving uncertainty over which accounts, including some high-profile conservative commentators, could return.