YouTube will let users booted for 'repeated violations' of COVID, elections policies 'rejoin'

YouTube creators kicked off the platform for "repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies" will have an opportunity to "rejoin" in line with revised policies that allow "a wider range of content" on those subjects, its parent Alphabet told the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday.

Issued in response to committee subpoenas in February 2023 and March 2025, the letter from Alphabet's law firm insists its commitment to free expression is "unwavering and will not bend to political pressure," while blaming senior Biden administration officials, "including White House officials," for "unacceptable and wrong" pressure to censor content that doesn't violate YouTube policies.

From President Biden on down, administration officials "created a political atmosphere that sought to influence the actions of platforms based on their concerns regarding misinformation," Alphabet said, claiming it "has consistently fought against those efforts on First Amendment grounds."

The letter insists that "YouTube never had Community Guidelines prohibiting discussion of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic," has never operated a paid third-party checking program and "will not empower fact-checkers to take action on or label content across the Company’s services."

The committee credited subpoenas and a yearslong investigation by Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, for the concessions and admissions from Google's sibling.