YouTube is lifting bans on channels for COVID-19 misinformation and the 2020 elections. The company cites pressure from the Biden administration and a change in its free speech policy.
Google has announced that it will reverse a major content moderation decision: YouTube will allow channels that were blocked in 2020 for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and elections to return to the platform. This is reported by Theverge, writes UNN.
Details
In a letter sent to the US House Judiciary Committee, Alphabet's lawyers stated that the Biden administration had previously "pressured the company" to remove user-generated content related to COVID-19, even if it did not violate Alphabet's policies. They also noted that the "political atmosphere" forced them to take this step. "It is unacceptable and wrong for any government, including the Biden administration, to try to dictate to a company how to moderate content," the letter said.
In 2020, at the height of the pandemic and during the first Trump administration, YouTube implemented a medical misinformation policy that blocked content promoting COVID conspiracies and later banned it entirely. After the January 6 riots at the US Capitol, YouTube temporarily blocked channels, including Donald Trump's channel, that claimed the election was "stolen." The company continued to take action against influential MAGA figures who violated these rules, including demonetizing and removing videos from Steven Crowder's channel in 2021.
Alphabet noted that since 2020, YouTube's community guidelines on electoral integrity and COVID-19 have changed significantly. In this regard, and to emphasize its "commitment to freedom of expression," the company decided to allow creators to return to the platform if the rules they violated at the time are no longer in effect. YouTube will also stop using third-party fact-checkers — a move previously criticized by Republicans and MAGA representatives, who claimed it harmed conservative content.
YouTube values conservative voices on its platform and recognizes that these creators have significant influence and play an important role in public discourse.
– added Alphabet.
YouTube also published a separate statement on X (formerly Twitter), clarifying that it is a "limited pilot project that will be available to a select group of creators, including those whose channels were removed due to violations of policies that have since been revoked."
Alphabet is also currently facing antitrust lawsuits from the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, which have not ceased even during the Trump administration. The company recently won a partial victory in a case regarding search results — a federal judge allowed Google to keep the Chrome browser, despite the company being found guilty of creating an illegal monopoly in the search engine market. In another case, after Google was found guilty of creating an illegal monopoly in digital advertising, the company is currently arguing in court that its profitable advertising business should not be broken up.
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