In 2021, YouTube joined Twitter and Meta Platforms Inc.'s META Facebook in suspending former President Donald Trump's account due to concerns that his posts could incite violence.
Now it appears the risk of violence has decreased or a new policy direction has emerged under YouTube's new CEO, Neal Mohan. As of Friday, YouTube has lifted the restrictions on Trump's channel, which boasts 2.64 million subscribers.
The ban on Trump's account came after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, with YouTube being the last of the major social media networks to suspend him. The video-streaming giant, owned by Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL, cited the removal of new content uploaded to the former president's account as a violation of its policies and ongoing concerns about potential violence.
YouTube initially enforced a minimum seven-day suspension on Trump's account, with comments on his channel disabled indefinitely.
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Susan Wojcicki, then-CEO of YouTube, stated the platform would only lift the suspension on Trump's channel once it assessed the risk of violence had decreased. With the recent lifting of the ban, it seems YouTube has determined this risk to be manageable or a shift in policy has occurred under new leadership.
This move follows Twitter's decision to lift the ban on the former president's account in November, although Trump has not returned to the platform. Facebook, which had also banned Trump, lifted its restrictions last month. Trump has not posted on Facebook since the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6.
YouTube initially banned Trump on Jan. 12, 2021. With YouTube now lifting the ban, it remains to be seen whether the former president will resume his presence on the platform and, if so, what his approach will be.
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