Rep. Jim Jordan has given YouTube a hard deadline to answer a series of questions regarding the alleged censorship of a content creator who made allegations of "serious misconduct" at the FBI.
In a letter addressed at Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Jordan says the House Judiciary Committee has "obtained documents showing that the federal government successfully pressured YouTube" to "censor certain content, including content that did not violate YouTube's content moderation policies."
"Now, YouTube appears to have censored a video in which FBI whistleblower Marcus Allen, a witness before the Select Subcommittee, detailed serious misconduct at the FBI and expressed his deeply held religious beliefs," the letter adds, calling the alleged conduct part of a "pattern of anti-conservative political bias."
#NEWS: @Jim_Jordan probes YouTube censorship of FBI whistleblower. pic.twitter.com/UCy8SmRuZa
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) October 7, 2024
Consequently, the letter requests information on the decision and "communications between YouTube and the Biden-Harris Administration relating to this censorship." It goes on to detail the video, saying that Allen shared "how the FBI targeted him for his political and religious beliefs, how the FBI's retaliation affected him and his family, and how he relied on his faith during the ordeal." "Almost immediately, YouTube censored his story and religious expression," the document claims.
Jordan alleges that the government has "sought to silence" Allen since his suspension due to "his personal medical decisions, his religious beliefs and for questioning FBI leadership." For that reason it gives the company until October 21 to answer a series of questions, including: Why the video was removed from the channel; whether it was done automatically or manually and if YouTube intends to reinstate the video.
The document also requests information on what protections YouTube provides "for speech that is explicitly religious or political" and whether it applies in this case, as well as the teams that are responsible for carrying out the decision.
It ends by reminding Pichai that a 2023 subpoena to the company is "continuing in nature," requiring the submission of documents.
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