YouTubers Who Were Kicked Off the Platform for Rule Violations Can Now Request a ‘Second Chance’

YouTube announced on Thursday that creators whose channels were previously terminated for violating the platform's rules can now request new accounts.

“We know ma"y terminated creators deserve a second chance – YouTube has evolved and changed over the past 20 years, and we’ve had our share of second chances to get things right with our community too,” YouTube said in its blog post.

The Pilot Program

The policy change, referred to as a “pilot”, follows political pressure. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) subpoenaed YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, as part of an investigation into whether the Biden-Harris administration had coerced platforms to censor speech. In response, Alphabet’s CEO, Daniel F. Donovan, confirmed that YouTube would offer some terminated creators a path back to the platform.

While YouTube did not directly reference COVID-19 or election integrity policies in its blog post, it is clear that these policies are key considerations. The letter states, “Reflecting  the commitments 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if the company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and election integrity policies that are no longer in effect.”

The Impact of COVID-19 and Election Integrity Policies

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter took action to curb the spread of medical misinformation, particularly related to vaccines. YouTube removed content making unsubstantiated claims, such as the assertion that vaccines could cause cancer, which is not supported by scientific evidence.

In the aftermath of the January 6 riots, platforms also removed accounts they believed were inciting violence, including President Donald Trump’s account. Although these policies have been discontinued, creators terminated under these rules have remained unable to upload videos. TechCrunch reached out to YouTube to confirm whether the new pilot program would focus specifically on creators removed for violating the COVID-19 or election policies, but did not receive a response before publication.

Criteria for Reinstatement

YouTube stated that several factors would be considered when evaluating reinstatement requests, including whether the creator had committed particularly severe or persistent violations of the platform's Guidelines or Terms of Service. YouTube also said that the possibility that it may have endangered children could be closely evaluated.

Creators terminated for copyright infringement are not eligible to request a new channel under this policy.

Creators must wait one year after their channel is terminated before they can apply for a new account. During that waiting period, creators can still appeal their termination if they feel it was unjust.

If a creator is reinstated, they will start fresh, without access to their previous channel. However, they can still apply to the YouTube Partner Program, allowing them to share ad revenue with YouTube once they are eligible.