People walk past a YouTube billboard ad in Berlin, Germany, on September 27, 2019.
Sean Gallup Getty Images
YouTube is offering a second chance to creators who were banned from the platform.
On Thursday, googlehas announced that it will be rolling out a feature where previously terminated creators can apply to create a new channel. Under the previous rules, it was permanently banned.
“We know that many fired creators deserve a second chance,” the YouTube team wrote in a blog post. “We look forward to providing creators with a fresh start and an opportunity to reclaim their voices on the platform.”
Tech companies have been under intense scrutiny for months from House Republicans and President Donald Trump, who have accused the platforms of political bias and over-moderating content.
YouTube last week agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit over the suspension of Trump’s account after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
YouTube said this new option is separate from its existing dispute process. If the appeal is unsuccessful, creators now have the option to apply for a new channel.
Creators approved through the new process will start from scratch without their previous videos, subscribers, or monetization privileges.
In the coming weeks, eligible creators who log in to YouTube Studio will have the option to request a new channel. Creators can only apply one year after their original channel ends.
YouTube said it reviews requests based on the severity and frequency of past violations.
The company also said it will review conduct off-platform that could be harmful to the community, such as conduct that endangers the safety of children.
This program excludes creators who have been fired for copyright infringement, violations of our Creator Responsibility Policy, or who have deleted their accounts.
YouTube’s “second chance” process is consistent with a broader trend at Google and other major platforms to loosen strict content moderation rules imposed in response to the pandemic and the 2020 election.
In September, Alphabet lawyer Daniel Donovan sent a letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announcing that the platform had changed its community guidelines for content containing misinformation related to the coronavirus and elections.
The letter also alleges that Biden administration officials pressured the company to remove some coronavirus-related videos, calling the pressure “unacceptable and wrong.”
According to Donovan’s letter, YouTube will end its own coronavirus misinformation regulations in December 2024.
