YouTube to pay $24.5m to settle Trump lawsuit over Capitol riot

"Getty Images YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5m (18.6m) to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump, filed after the video platform suspended his account in the wake of the 6 January attack on US Capitol. The settlement from the video streaming giant's parent company Alphabet - which also owns Google - comes after social media sites X/Twitter and Facebook also agreed to pay Trump for suspending his accounts."

"As part of Monday's settlement, YouTube will pay $22m to the Trust for the National Mall, a non-profit group that is aiming to raise $200m to build a new ballroom at the White House. Another $2.5m will be paid to other organisations and individuals who joined Trump's lawsuit, including the American Conservative Union. YouTube is the latest major platform to settle with the president. In January, Facebook's parent company Meta agreed to a $25m settlement - with $22m earmarked for Trump's presidential library."

"A month later, social media platform X - a company that was purchased by Trump ally Elon Musk in 2022 - settled for a reported $10m. All of Mr Trump's social media accounts have since been reinstated. The settlements come as Silicon Valley has generally taken a more conciliatory tone towards the president. The CEOs of Alphabet, Meta and X all sat in the front row for his inauguration, signalling a shift in relations between the Republican Party and the tech sector."

YouTube's parent company Alphabet agreed to pay $24.5m to settle a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump after YouTube suspended his account following the 6 January attack on the US Capitol. The settlement allocates $22m to the Trust for the National Mall to support a planned $200m White House ballroom project, and $2.5m to other organisations and individuals who joined the lawsuit, including the American Conservative Union. Facebook's parent Meta previously agreed a $25m settlement with $22m for a presidential library, and X settled for about $10m. All of Trump's social media accounts have been reinstated and tech firms have signalled a more conciliatory stance while loosening some content moderation policies.

Read at www.bbc.com