YouTube says it'll bring back creators banned for violating its COVID-19 and election content policies

"YouTube's parent company, Alphabet, said in a letter published Tuesday that it intends to "provide an opportunity for all creators to rejoin the platform" whose accounts had been terminated over repeated violations of its COVID-19 and election integrity policies. The letter, written by Alphabet lawyer Daniel Donovan to Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said that YouTube "values conservative voices on its platform" and recognized their reach and role in civic discourse."

"The House Judiciary Committee published the letter on its website on Tuesday following its monthslong investigation into whether Biden White House officials pressured Big Tech platforms into censoring content. A Google spokesperson confirmed the authenticity of the letter. YouTube's about-face on previously banned accounts marks the latest shift in Big Tech content moderation. Companies from Meta to X have overhauled their content policies and switched away from using third-party fact-checkers."

"Prominent YouTube channels from conservative creators - including Dan Bongino, Steve Bannon, and Children's Health Defense, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nonprofit activist group, as well as those from lesser-known creators - had been banned from YouTube for flouting its COVID-19 misinformation and election-related policies. Bongino has since become the deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, while Kennedy leads the Department of Health and Human Services."

Alphabet intends to allow creators whose accounts were terminated for repeated COVID-19 and election-integrity policy violations to rejoin YouTube, and states that YouTube values conservative voices and recognizes their civic reach. The reversal follows a House Judiciary Committee probe into whether Biden White House officials pressured Big Tech to censor content, and Google confirmed the authenticity. YouTube has ended its stand-alone COVID-19 policies. The shift aligns with broader changes across Big Tech, where companies from Meta to X have overhauled content rules and moved away from third-party fact-checkers. Several high-profile conservative channels had been previously banned under those policies.

Read at Business Insider