YouTube has announced a pilot procedure for the reinstatement of channels that were previously terminated for “violating policies” on information related to COVID-19 and elections, as reported by multiple US news outlets including CNBC.
The Institute of Mass Information director Oksana Romaniuk believes that YouTube’s decision to roll back permanent bans may open way for Russian influencers.
According to Oksana Romaniuk, director of the Institute of Mass Media, the YouTube policy change is alarming but it does not yet mean that Russian state-affiliated propagandists will automatically get a chance to get reinstated.
“Let me remind you that they are subject to EU sanctions, which prohibit platforms in the EU from ‘broadcasting, promoting or otherwise facilitating’ the spread of their content. Additionally, in 2022, YouTube blocked Russian state-sponsored media channels (RT, Sputnik) globally,” the expert added.
However, Romaniuk does not rule out that Russian influencers and bloggers who are not on the sanctions lists and who were once blocked specifically for disinformation related to Covid-19 or the US elections could potentially return to YouTube. “Theoretically, such channels could apply for renewal and be approved. New channels will have to be carefully monitored and reported if signs of coordinated Russian information operations are detected,” the expert believes.
In January 2022, more than 80 fact-checking organizations from around the world stated that YouTube was one of the most prominent channels of online disinformation worldwide. The experts alleged that the company was not doing enough to combat fake news and made suggestions on how to fix it.
YouTube says that the new changes would give creators an opportunity to apply for reinstatement as opposed to being an automatic “amnesty” for channels previously removed for disinformation around these topics. The details (such as who would be able to get their channels back and on what conditions) are unclear as of now, judging by the letter by Alphabet lawyer Daniel Donovan to US House of Representatives Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan.
The decision essentially rolls back a policy that had treated disinformation as a permanent violation. “Today, YouTube’s Community Guidelines allow for a wider range of content regarding Covid and elections integrity,” Donovan wrote.
YouTube wrote on X that it will be a limited pilot project open to a subset of creators as well as channels that were terminated under policies the company has since retired. YouTube also said its new reinstatement program will launch soon.
Among channels previously banned under those rules were some associated with Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It’s not yet clear whether those channels will be reinstated.
This move follows mounting Republican pressure on tech companies to reverse Biden-era speech policies on vaccine and political misinformation. In March, Rep. Jordan subpoenaed Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, alleging YouTube was a “direct participant in the federal government’s censorship regime.”
