Alphabet Announces YouTube Reinstatement Pilot

Alphabet told the House Judiciary Committee in a letter responding to subpoenas that YouTube will offer creators terminated under now‑deprecated COVID‑19 and 2020 election misinformation rules a pathway to rejoin the platform. The company said its lawyers alleged senior Biden administration officials repeatedly pressured it to remove content the company says did not violate its rules and called such influence unacceptable. Alphabet framed the reinstatements as a commitment to free expression that values conservative voices, said it has phased out standalone COVID and election rules in 2023–24, and will rely on context panels and broader policies rather than third‑party fact‑checkers. High‑profile figures affected by earlier enforcement include Dan Bongino, Steve Bannon and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., though Alphabet provided few details about which creators would be restored. The program will begin as a limited pilot covering a subset of creators.