Google admits it banned people due to Biden Administration’s pressure to censor, now agrees to reinstate creators

Google has committed to reinstating YouTube creators who were previously removed from the platform for political speech violations related to Covid-19 or elections, following oversight efforts by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio.

The announcement came after Google provided a detailed response to the committee, admitting that the Biden administration pressured the company to censor Americans and remove videos that did not violate YouTube’s own policies.

According to the information disclosed to the committee:

• The Biden administration’s censorship pressure was described as “unacceptable and wrong.”
• Public debate, Google acknowledged, should never be stifled in favor of “authorities.”
• The company pledged it would not rely on third-party fact-checkers.
• Google also raised concerns that European Union censorship laws are targeting American companies and threatening US free speech rights by requiring the removal of “lawful content.”

These admissions come after a subpoena from Chairman Jordan and a multi-year investigation into the company’s handling of online speech and political content.

The House Judiciary Committee has released Google’s letter in full, which details the company’s commitments and acknowledgments. The letter can be read here.

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