YouTube Will Allow Banned Creators Back After COVID-19 and Election Policy Changes

YouTube will now allow creators whose accounts were previously terminated for repeated violations of COVID-19 misinformation and election integrity policies to return to the platform, according to a letter sent by parent company Alphabet to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) on Tuesday.

“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if the Company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies that are no longer in effect,” Alphabet’s legal counsel Daniel F. Donovan wrote. “YouTube values conservative voices on its platform and recognizes that these creators have extensive reach and play an important role in civic discourse.”

The letter came in response to a subpoena from Rep. Jordan, who is investigating whether the Biden-Harris administration had pressured or colluded with companies like Alphabet to censor online speech.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, major social media platforms — including YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter — implemented policies to curb the spread of medical misinformation. YouTube, for example, banned content falsely claiming vaccines could cause cancer, a statement not supported by scientific evidence.

Following the 2020 U.S. presidential election, platforms also took decisive action against false claims that the election had been “stolen.” Twitter, before its acquisition by Elon Musk, suspended 70,000 accounts linked to QAnon conspiracies and incitement of violence in the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol riots.

However, in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, platforms began relaxing their misinformation rules. On YouTube, this included reinstating accounts such as former President Donald Trump, whose channel was banned after January 6 for inciting violence, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who later became the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Now, Alphabet has confirmed that all creators previously banned under these outdated policies will be allowed to return.

“While the reliance on health authorities in this context was well-intentioned, the Company recognizes it should have never come at the expense of public debate on these important issues,” the letter added.