YouTube Plans Reinstatement of Creators Banned for COVID Election Misinformation

YouTube will offer a path for previously banned channels to rejoin the platform, launching a limited pilot reinstatement program for creators removed under now-retired COVID-19 and 2020 election-integrity policies. Alphabet disclosed the change in a Sept. 23 letter from lawyer Daniel Donovan to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, noting YouTube ended standalone COVID-19 misinformation rules in December 2024 and retired its election-integrity policy in 2023. The correspondence accuses senior Biden administration officials of repeatedly pressing the company to remove content that did not violate its policies and calls that pressure "unacceptable and wrong." YouTube said the pilot will be limited to a subset of creators, emphasized it "values conservative voices" and free expression, and said it will not empower third-party fact-checkers to take action on content. High-profile figures and channels previously removed under those rules include Steve Bannon, Dan Bongino and organizations linked to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., though the company has not specified which channels will be reinstated. The move follows sustained Republican pressure, subpoenas and investigations into alleged government influence on platform moderation and marks a notable shift in Big Tech's approach to content enforcement.