YouTube will allow creators to appeal lifetime bans for misinformation

Google-owned YouTube plans to allow creators whose channels were previously banned for spreading misinformation about Covid-19 or the election to apply for reinstatement, a move away from a policy of lifetime bans that has been in place for several years, CNBC reported.

As stated in a letter from Alphabet lawyer Daniel Donovan to the chairman of the US Congressional Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan, the new program will operate in a pilot format and will cover a limited number of creators, including those whose channels were removed under rules that have already expired.

The policy change comes amid pressure from Republicans demanding that tech companies lift Biden administration restrictions on vaccine and election-related content. In March, Congressman Jordan even called out Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, accusing YouTube of “complicity in government censorship.”

In 2021, YouTube pledged to remove videos that made false claims about vaccines, and during the pandemic, the company has come under direct pressure from officials, which Donovan called "unacceptable and wrong."

In December 2024, the platform repealed some of its Covid-19 misinformation policies. At the same time, YouTube said it would not outsource fact-checking but would continue to provide context to videos. Meta followed suit, ending its fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram.