YouTube faces scrutiny over Biden administration censorship pressure

YouTube admits removing content under Biden pressure, will reinstate some accounts banned for political speech.

YouTube’s parent company Alphabet has acknowledged facing pressure from the Biden administration to remove content related to COVID-19 and election issues. 

The platform is now offering to reinstate accounts that were permanently banned under those policies.The change was detailed in a letter submitted to the House Judiciary Committee, in response to ongoing investigations into content moderation practices.

According to the document, creators who were removed for repeated policy violations under YouTube’s COVID-19 and election integrity rules—which are no longer in effect—will have the opportunity to rejoin the platform. Among those named are Steve Bannon, Dan Bongino, and Sebastian Gorka, all of whom were permanently banned in recent years under those policies.

YouTube admits it censored Americans under pressure from the Biden administration and says it will reinstate terminated accounts banned for political speech pic.twitter.com/xS8r4BLta5

— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) September 23, 2025

Alphabet’s lawyer also accused the Biden administration of creating “a political atmosphere that sought to influence the actions of platforms based on concerns regarding misinformation.” While YouTube says it enforced its policies independently, the letter states that senior officials made repeated outreach to the company regarding content that, in some cases, did not actually violate policy. 

The new policy shift comes as part of a Republican-led inquiry into Big Tech censorship of COVID-19, election integrity, and related speech. Lower courts had previously ruled that some pressure from government officials raised First Amendment concerns, though a 2024 Supreme Court decision later dismissed a case on standing grounds. 

YouTube says it values free expression and diverse viewpoints and intends to let impacted creators return, provided their removals were under policies that have since been sunset. This move marks a notable reversal in platform moderation policy amid scrutiny from lawmakers and public debate over speech, misinformation, and government influence.