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6h ago

YouTube to Offer Path Back for Channels Banned Under Retired COVID and Election Rules

The move follows a subpoena-driven review prompted by Alphabet's claim of White House pressure over non‑violative COVID content.

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Overview

  • In a letter to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, Alphabet said senior Biden officials repeatedly pressed it to remove COVID-19 videos that did not violate YouTube’s policies.
  • YouTube will launch a limited pilot in the coming weeks to let a subset of previously terminated creators seek reinstatement, including those removed under now-deprecated COVID-19 and election-integrity policies.
  • The company said its stand-alone election policy was retired in 2023 and its COVID-19 policy was fully ended by December 2024, changing the rules under which some channels were removed.
  • Alphabet stated YouTube has not and will not empower third-party fact-checkers to take action on content, and it is testing a community context feature similar to X’s Community Notes.
  • Republicans hailed the shift as a win for free expression, and outlets noted high-profile banned creators such as Dan Bongino, Steve Bannon, Sebastian Gorka, and Children’s Health Defense could be eligible, though operational details and monetization terms remain unclear.