Google to reinstate banned YouTube accounts for political speech, document shows
Policy shift follows disclosure of White House pressure over COVID-19 content and broader questions about platform moderation
Google plans to reinstate YouTube accounts permanently banned for political speech, a policy shift that would allow creators previously removed for COVID-19 or elections-related content to rejoin the platform. The plan was outlined in a document provided to the House Judiciary Committee by a Google attorney and first obtained by Fox News Digital.
According to the document, 'Reflecting the Company’s commitment to free expression, YouTube will provide an opportunity for all creators to rejoin the platform if the company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies that are no longer in effect,' the attorney wrote. The document also states that YouTube 'values conservative voices on its platform' and acknowledges that such creators 'have extensive reach and play an important role in civic discourse.'
The policy change could affect both ordinary users and well-known figures such as FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, White House counterterrorism chief Sebastian Gorka, and War Room podcaster Steve Bannon, all of whom were permanently banned in recent years for COVID-19 or elections-related content. Bongino, who previously hosted a popular conservative radio program and livestreamed on Rumble after his YouTube ban in 2022, left his long-running radio show earlier this year after taking a position in the administration. He has, however, attributed his rising audience on alternate platforms in part to the loss of his YouTube channel.
Google's disclosures come amid a yearslong Republican-led inquiry into big tech censorship related to COVID-19, the 2020 election, and Hunter Biden. The document notes that White House officials pressed Google behind the scenes to remove perceived misinformation related to the pandemic that did not violate its existing policies, while the company says it had previously censored content independently of White House involvement. The attorney wrote that the administration 'created a political atmosphere that sought to influence the actions of platforms based on their concerns regarding misinformation.'
The revelations arrive as regulators and lawmakers scrutinize the balance between content moderation and free expression. Meta Platforms Inc. had a separate shift last year toward denouncing the Biden administration’s pressure tactics and expanding voices on its platforms, including moving away from third-party fact-checkers. YouTube has not used outside fact-checkers and has vowed that it 'will not empower fact-checkers to take action on or label content' on the platform.
Parallel to congressional investigations was a lawsuit brought by two Republican attorneys general over social media censorship. Discovery in that case mirrored much of what the committee uncovered, though the Supreme Court ultimately did not decide the merits of Murthy v. Missouri for lack of standing. The lower courts had largely sided with the plaintiffs, including a judge who characterized government actions as resembling an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth.’ The decision disappointed Republicans who had hoped for a ruling on whether government pressure to censor speech violates the First Amendment. The case also touched on jawboning, the practice of pressuring private companies to restrict speech, a term that has resurfaced in related debates.
As the policy shift unfolds, Google stressed that it will continue to adjust its rules as needed and will not empower external fact-checkers to enforce actions on content. The company declined to comment further on the plan when contacted by Fox News Digital. The document’s release accompanies ongoing congressional inquiries into how major tech platforms moderate political and health-related information, leaving many questions about how and when reinstatements will be processed and which channels qualify under the updated policy.