CNBC: “Google long touted the need for factually accurate information on its platforms, but a letter submitted to Congress this week demonstrates how the tech company is shifting to prioritize “free expression.” The company’s YouTube division on Tuesday said it will soon allow accounts that were previously banned for spreading misinformation related to Covid-19 and the 2020 U.S. election to apply for reinstatement. The company made the announcement through the [letter](https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2025-09-23-le…
CNBC: “Google long touted the need for factually accurate information on its platforms, but a letter submitted to Congress this week demonstrates how the tech company is shifting to prioritize “free expression.” The company’s YouTube division on Tuesday said it will soon allow accounts that were previously banned for spreading misinformation related to Covid-19 and the 2020 U.S. election to apply for reinstatement. The company made the announcement through the letter, which was penned by Alphabet lawyer Daniel Donovan and sent to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. That announcement effectively rolled back a policy that had treated violations as lifetime bans. Google’s new stance comes despite the company touting the need for accuracy and fact-checking as far back as 2016 and throughout the pandemic. During that time, the company has used third party fact-checkers and trust and safety teams monitoring misinformation. Donovan’s letter is the latest backtrack from the company that once positioned itself as a bastion for accurate information but is increasingly touting “free expression.” Google isn’t alone. Meta similarly changed its speech policies in January, just before the second inauguration of President Donald Trump. YouTube’s new reinstatement policy comes as Alphabet is under heavy regulatory pressure. The company lost back-to-back antitrust cases brought by the Department of Justice related to Google’s dominance in online search and advertising. Google is also in talks with Trump lawyers after a lawsuit stemmed from the suspension of the president’s social media accounts after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump filed suits against Facebook, the company formerly known as Twitter and YouTube later in 2021, and he settled with Meta and X earlier this year. “Google is committed to free expression and works to connect users with a broad range of high quality, relevant information,” the company told CNBC in a statement, adding that it does not rely on external fact checkers for ranking content in products like Search or YouTube…”