As we continue to observe which media companies will capitulate to pressure from the Trump administration and which will push back, here’s a mark for YouTube in the “capitulate” column. On Tuesday, the platform’s parent company Alphabet Inc. sent a letter reassuring Rep. Jim Jordan that it is committed to keeping the “digital ecosystem safe, reliable, and open to free expression” without bias toward any particular viewpoint. So naturally, that means welcoming COVID-19 misinformation back onto the platform.
“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if the Company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies that are no longer in effect,” the letter states (via TechCrunch). “YouTube values conservative voices on its platform and recognizes that these creators have extensive reach and play an important role in civic discourse.”
The letter from Alphabet’s legal counsel was issued in response to a subpoena from Jordan regarding his investigation into whether the Biden administration coerced platforms like YouTube to censor speech. In the letter, Alphabet insists it came up with its own COVID-19 policies—which include banning medical misinformation about vaccines—independent of any outreach from the government. Alphabet’s commitment to freedom of expression “is unwavering and will not bend to political pressure.” That’s somewhat ironic, given that its latest action gives Jordan exactly what he wants, including a tidy quote that the Biden administration’s attempt to curb online misinformation was “unacceptable and wrong.”
Alphabet points out it has already rolled back policies on coronavirus and 2020 election fraud claims, some of which were retired before Jordan launched his investigation, and a few that were retired after. But the specifics almost don’t matter when the House Judiciary committee is blasting out a press release claiming “Google Admits Censorship Under Biden.” The best YouTube can muster in its own defense, per the letter, is that “While the reliance on health authorities in this context was well-intentioned, the Company recognizes it should have never come at the expense of public debate on these important issues.”
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