YouTube to start bringing back creators banned for COVID-19 and election
misinformation
[September 25, 2025] By
ALI SWENSON
NEW YORK (AP) — YouTube will offer creators a way to rejoin the
streaming platform if they were banned for violating COVID-19 and
election misinformation policies that are no longer in effect, its
parent company Alphabet said Tuesday.
In a letter submitted in response to subpoenas from the House Judiciary
Committee, attorneys for Alphabet said the decision to bring back banned
accounts reflected the company's commitment to free speech. It said the
company values conservative voices on its platform and recognizes their
reach and important role in civic discourse.
“No matter the political atmosphere, YouTube will continue to enable
free expression on its platform, particularly as it relates to issues
subject to political debate,” the letter read.
The move is the latest in a cascade of content moderation rollbacks from
tech companies, who cracked down on false information during the
pandemic and after the 2020 election but have since faced pressure from
President Donald Trump and other conservatives who argue they unlawfully
stifled right-wing voices in the process.
It comes as tech CEOs, including Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, have sought
a closer relationship with the Republican president, including through
high-dollar donations to his campaign and attending events in
Washington.
YouTube in 2023 phased out its policy to remove content that falsely
claims the 2020 election, or other past U.S. presidential elections,
were marred by “widespread fraud, errors or glitches."
The platform in 2024 also retired its standalone COVID-19 content
restrictions, allowing various treatments for the disease to be
discussed. COVID-19 misinformation now falls under YouTube's broader
medical misinformation policy.
Among the creators who have been banned from YouTube under the
now-expired policies are prominent conservative influencers, including
Dan Bongino, who now serves as deputy director of the FBI. For people
who make money on social media, access to monetization on YouTube can be
significant, earning them large sums through ad revenue.
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A YouTube sign is shown near the company's headquarters in San
Bruno, Calif., Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, file)
 House Judiciary Committee Chairman
Jim Jordan and other congressional Republicans have pressured tech
companies to reverse content moderation policies created under
former President Joe Biden and accused Biden's administration of
unfairly wielding its power over the companies to chill lawful
online speech.
In Tuesday's letter, Alphabet's lawyers said senior Biden
administration officials “conducted repeated and sustained outreach”
to coerce the company to remove pandemic-related YouTube videos that
did not violate company policies.
“It is unacceptable and wrong when any government, including the
Biden Administration, attempts to dictate how the Company moderates
content, and the Company has consistently fought against those
efforts on First Amendment grounds,” the letter said.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also accused the Biden administration
of pressuring employees to inappropriately censor content during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Elon Musk, the owner of the social platform X,
has accused the FBI of illegally coercing Twitter before his tenure
to suppress a story about Hunter Biden.
The Supreme Court last year sided with former President Joe Biden’s
administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far
the federal government can go to combat controversial social media
posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security.
Asked for more information about the reinstatement process, a
spokesperson for YouTube did not immediately respond to a request
for comment.
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