Google revealed Tuesday that it will offer reinstatement to YouTube accounts permanently banned for political speech related to COVID-19 and election integrity.
The move comes after the tech giant acknowledged that the Biden administration pressured the platform to censor lawful and truthful content for political purposes.
The disclosure came in a document sent by Google’s lawyers to the House Judiciary Committee.
The policy shift could impact high-profile figures like FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, White House counterterrorism chief Sebastian Gorka, and “War Room” host Steve Bannon.
All three conservatives had their channels permanently removed under YouTube’s now-abandoned censorship rules.
“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if the company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies that are no longer in effect,” the letter states.
YouTube permanently banned Bongino in 2022 after claiming his commentary on masks violated its policies.
Bongino later became one of Rumble’s most-followed personalities, crediting YouTube’s censorship for fueling his audience growth.
The greatest thing to ever happen to us was when YouTube attacked us for stating that masks don’t work.
These are the numbers on Rumble since YouTube banned us.
I think we’ll be okay. 👍 pic.twitter.com/HG9NuzxxBe— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) May 15, 2024
Google’s filing acknowledged that “conservative voices… play an important role in civic discourse” and admitted YouTube acted under “repeated and sustained outreach” from Biden White House officials who pressed the company to remove content.
The filing notes that officials sought the removal of user-generated content that did not technically violate YouTube’s stated policies.
The pressure campaign, the filing concludes, “created a political atmosphere that sought to influence the actions of platforms.”
Years of Censorship Pressure
The revelations follow years of GOP-led investigations into Big Tech censorship on COVID-19, the 2020 election, and Hunter Biden.
Internal documents and discovery in the Murthy v. Missouri lawsuit revealed similar patterns, including coordination between federal officials and social media executives.
While the Supreme Court declined to rule on the merits of the case, a lower court judge previously likened the federal government’s actions to an “Orwellian Ministry of Truth.”
Meta has already rolled back its third-party “fact-checker” program after Biden publicly scolded the company.
Google confirmed Tuesday it will not use widely discredited “fact-checkers” going forward.
Renewed Scrutiny After Kirk Assassination
The issue of “jawboning” – government coercion of private companies – has taken on new urgency following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel sparked outrage when he accused conservatives of politicizing Kirk’s murder, despite authorities confirming the shooter was a radical leftist.
Kimmel’s remarks triggered the suspension of his ABC show, though Disney has since restored it.
However, Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns 30 ABC affiliates, said it will continue to replace Kimmel with other programming until he apologizes to Kirk’s family.
Concerns deepened after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr made pointed remarks about ABC’s handling of Kimmel.
“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Carr said in an interview, raising an alarm about regulatory pressure on broadcasters.
Foreign Laws Also Under Fire
Google also criticized the European Union’s (EU) new Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act.
The company is warning that the globalist EU’s anti-free speech laws are placing a “disproportionate regulatory burden on American companies.”
Lawmakers in both parties have raised concerns that the EU laws could force American platforms into broader speech restrictions.
READ MORE – Google Informs Trump Officials of Biden-Era Probe of ‘Private’ Email Accounts
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