YouTube has reversed its rules on election denialism, which now allows for previously prohibited false claims. This decision comes almost three years after the company was the slowest major platform to disallow misinformation during the 2020 US election. The move to change its policies was announced in a blog post on Friday. The post stated that removing this content could curtail free speech without meaningfully reducing the risk of violence or harm. However, YouTube will still prohibit lying about the location of polling places, as well as other efforts to dissuade people from voting. While some argue that denying valid election results ultimately discourages voting, the company doesn’t consider sowing mistrust in the democratic process as “real-world harm.” The company plans to announce more updates around its 2024 election strategy in the coming months.
