YouTube to reinstate accounts banned over COVID, 2020 election
3 Min Read
YouTube will let creators banned over COVID-19 and 2020 election content reapply, citing free expression after pressure from the Biden administration.
-
The Google logo is displayed at their offices, November 1, 2018, in London (AP)
YouTube will allow creators banned under its COVID-19 and 2020 election misinformation policies to apply for reinstatement, lawyers for parent company Alphabet told the US House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
The platform, owned by Google and used by more than two billion people worldwide, imposed sweeping rules during the pandemic, removing videos that contradicted public health authorities on vaccines, transmission, and treatments. After the 2020 election, it also banned claims of widespread voter fraud following the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.
Bans on Trump-era figures
The restrictions resulted in bans on several figures from President Donald Trump’s administration who challenged the official narratives on the pandemic and the election. Among those barred were current FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. Although YouTube later dropped both policies, it left the bans in place permanently.
Alphabet said the new policy would now give banned creators the option to reapply for access.
“Today, YouTube’s Community Guidelines allow for a wider range of content regarding COVID and election integrity,” Daniel Donovan, a lawyer representing Alphabet, wrote in a letter. “Reflecting the company’s commitment to free expression, YouTube will provide an opportunity for all creators to rejoin the platform.”
He clarified that the new review process will only apply to bans related to COVID-19 and the 2020 election, without specifying which accounts qualify or when reinstatements will begin.
Political pressure and free speech
Alphabet also acknowledged that YouTube had faced pressure from the Biden administration to remove posts that did not necessarily violate the platform’s rules, calling such interference “unacceptable and wrong.” The company emphasized that it “consistently fought against those efforts on free speech grounds” but did not confirm whether any bans had been made under direct orders from the administration.
The announcement comes in response to a Trump administration investigation into whether social media firms suppressed speech at Biden’s request. Trump has long accused platforms of silencing conservative voices critical of lockdowns and vaccines.
Since his return to office, several major platforms have eased their restrictions. Meta and Elon Musk’s X have scaled back fact-checking programs and introduced “community notes” to provide additional context instead of outright removals.
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan welcomed Alphabet’s move, calling it “a victory in the fight against censorship” in a statement on X. “No one will tell Americans what to believe or not to believe anymore,” he said.
