YouTube announced on Thursday that creators whose channels were previously terminated will be able to request new accounts. The company stated that many terminated creators deserve a second chance, noting that YouTube has evolved over the past twenty years and has had its own opportunities to improve.
This policy change, which YouTube is calling a pilot, follows a subpoena from Representative Jim Jordan to YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet. The subpoena was part of an investigation into whether the Biden-Harris administration had coerced or colluded with platforms to censor speech. Last month, Alphabet’s legal counsel, Daniel F. Donovan, wrote a letter to Representative Jordan confirming the company would allow some terminated creators to return.
While YouTube’s blog post does not explicitly mention its COVID-19 or election integrity policies, the letter from Alphabet makes it clear these policies are a focus. The letter states that YouTube will provide an opportunity for creators to rejoin the platform if their channels were terminated for repeated violations of COVID-19 and election integrity policies that are no longer in effect. Alphabet’s letter also expressed that YouTube values conservative voices on its platform and recognizes their role in civic discourse.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, platforms including YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter acted to prevent the spread of medical misinformation about the virus and vaccines. YouTube at that time disallowed content making false claims, such as stating that vaccines cause cancer, which is not supported by scientific research. The following year, these platforms also took action against accounts they believed incited violence after the January 6 riots, including the account of President Donald Trump. These specific policies have since been discontinued, but the creators terminated under them have remained unable to upload videos.
When asked if this pilot would specifically focus on creators terminated for COVID-19 and election integrity policy violations, YouTube did not provide a response. The company wrote in its blog that it will consider several factors when evaluating requests for new channels. These factors include whether the creator committed severe or persistent violations of Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, or if their on- or off-platform activity harmed or could continue to harm the YouTube community, such as channels that endanger child safety.
YouTube also stated that creators terminated for copyright infringement will not be allowed to request a new channel. Creators must wait one year after their channel was terminated before they are eligible to apply for a new channel. However, they can still appeal their termination during that year if they believe YouTube’s decision was unjust.
If a creator is reinstated, they will start from scratch with a new account rather than regain access to their old one. They will be able to apply to the YouTube Partner Program once they are eligible, which allows them to share advertising revenue with YouTube.