Alphabet Reports Biden Administration Pressured Google, YouTube to Remove Nonviolative COVID-19 Content

Google has admitted that the Biden administration pressured the company to censor user-generated content on platforms like YouTube, particularly related to COVID-19 and election topics, even when such content did not violate company policies. This disclosure came in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, with Google labeling the government pressure as "unacceptable and wrong" and emphasizing its ongoing commitment to free expression. In response to this revelation, Google has pledged to reinstate creators who were banned for political speech violations under policies that are no longer in effect, including prominent conservative voices. The company also announced it would stop using third-party fact-checkers, which had been criticized for bias against right-leaning perspectives. These developments follow an investigation led by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan into big tech censorship and alleged government influence over content moderation. The move to restore banned channels and reject external fact-checking reflects a significant shift toward addressing concerns about suppression of conservative viewpoints on major online platforms.