Video-sharing website YouTube will give banned creators a chance to return to the platform. As a matter of fact, on Thursday, the Google (GOOGL)-owned site said it’s launching a feature that lets permanently removed users apply to create a new channel. This is a big change from YouTube’s older policy, which banned creators for life. In a blog post, the company said, “We know many terminated creators deserve a second chance,” and shared that it wants to help these users start fresh and return to the platform.
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This update comes as YouTube and other tech companies face political pressure, especially from House Republicans and President Donald Trump, who have accused platforms of bias and unfair moderation. Just last week, YouTube agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit over suspending Trump’s account after the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021. Interestingly, YouTube explained that this new option is separate from the usual appeals process. Essentially, if someone’s appeal is unsuccessful, they can now apply to create a new channel, although it won’t include their old videos, subscribers, or monetization.
As a result, eligible users will see the option to apply in YouTube Studio in the coming weeks, but only if a full year has passed since their account was terminated. YouTube also says that it will review applications based on how serious and frequent the user’s past violations were, and may consider off-platform actions, especially if they risk the safety of others. However, this opportunity does not apply to creators who have been banned for copyright issues, violating the Creator Responsibility policy, or deleting their own accounts.
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