The platform has agreed to pay compensation without admitting guilt: most of the funds will be transferred to non-profit organizations, the rest to other plaintiffs. This is the last of three cases against Trump’s major social networks to end in a settlement.
The platform has agreed to pay compensation without admitting guilt: most of the funds will be transferred to non-profit organizations, the rest to other plaintiffs. This is the last of three cases against Trump’s major social networks to end in a settlement.
CNN reports the details, citing court documents. Under the terms of the settlement, YouTube, owned by Alphabet, will pay $24.5 million. Of that, $22 million will go to the Trust for the National Mall to support the construction of the White House State Ballroom, and another $2.5 million will go to other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union.
The lawsuit concerned the suspension of Trump’s account following the events of January 6, 2021. At the time, the social media platforms justified their actions by the risk of further violence. After the agreement was announced, Trump told Truth Social that it was a «huge victory» and added that «censorship has consequences.»
YouTube did not comment on the settlement, referring the media to court documents. The company is the latest in a trio of tech platforms that Trump has sued over the blocking. Earlier settlements were reached by Meta — for $25 million — and X (formerly Twitter), which, according to press reports, agreed to pay about $10 million.
It is worth noting that the settlement does not change the basic position of internet platforms in such disputes: private companies have the right to set their own rules for using their services and apply them to content and accounts. However, the moderation policy in the industry has softened noticeably in recent years: after Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, Trump’s account was restored, and access was later restored to both Meta and YouTube.
Also last week, YouTube announced the reinstatement of some channels that were blocked under now-removed rules on election and COVID-19 misinformation. Against this backdrop, the agreement with Trump fits into a broader trend — a policy correction and an attempt to reduce political tension without admitting legal guilt or creating a precedent in the courts.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how YouTube has stepped up monitoring of compliance with family subscription rules. Now, users who are on the Premium Family plan but do not physically live at the same address as the subscription owner risk losing access to the service’s paid features.
