Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube.
Michael Newberg | CNBC
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said on Thursday that the platform would lift the suspension on former President Donald Trump’s account once the risk of violence subsided.
The Google-owned video site only suspended the bill on January 12, almost a week after the uprising at the U.S. Capitol, while lawmakers wanted to confirm the election of President Joe Biden. Facebook and Twitter had earlier suspended Trump’s accounts, citing the risk of further violence. YouTube said Trump’s account attempted to upload a video that violated his policy, and automatically suspended it for up to seven days under his policy. This later extended the suspension.
“I do want to confirm that we will lift the suspension of the channel … if we determine that the risk of violence has decreased,” Wojcicki said during an event hosted by Atlantic Council, a brainstorming session. She said it would remain subject to the same policies as other accounts.
“Where we stand today, it’s hard for me to say when it’s going to be, but it’s pretty clear that there’s currently an increased risk of violence,” she says.
Wojcicki said the company will look at different signals to determine if the risk has changed. These include government statements and warnings, increased law enforcement presence and rhetoric that YouTube monitors on its own platform.
While Wojcicki was clear that she expected YouTube to reinstate Trump’s account, Twitter said Trump’s suspension is permanent. Facebook said the suspension was indefinite and referred the ban to the independent supervisory board to review it. Until a proposal is received from the council, Facebook said Trump’s suspension will remain.
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