Google has agreed to allow creators who were previously banned from YouTube for political speech violations related to topics such as COVID-19 and elections the opportunity to return to the platform. This decision follows oversight efforts by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and a long-running investigation into Google's content moderation practices.
During testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Google acknowledged that it had faced pressure from the Biden Administration to censor Americans and remove content that did not violate YouTube's own policies. The company described this censorship pressure as "unacceptable and wrong." Google further stated, "Public debate should never come at the expense of relying 'authorities.'" The company also committed that it will not use third-party "fact-checkers" in its moderation process.
Additionally, Google raised concerns about European censorship laws, stating these regulations target American companies and threaten American speech, including requiring removal of "lawful content."
These admissions follow a subpoena issued by Chairman Jordan as part of an extended inquiry into Google's handling of political speech on its platforms.
A full letter from Google detailing these points is available for public review.
