Settlement Over Capitol Riot Fallout:
- YouTube will pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over the platform’s suspension of his account following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
- The lawsuit alleged undue censorship of Trump and conservative voices.
Breakdown of the Settlement:
- $22 million will be donated on Trump’s behalf to the Trust for the National Mall, supporting a $200M White House ballroom project.
- $2.5 million goes to other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union and author Naomi Wolf.
No Admission of Wrongdoing
- YouTube (owned by Alphabet) denies liability, stating the settlement aims to avoid litigation costs and risks.
Big Tech’s Changing Tone:
- The payout follows similar settlements by Meta ($25M) and X (formerly Twitter) earlier this year.
- Tech CEOs, including Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, and Tim Cook, recently praised Trump’s administration at a White House dinner, signaling a shift in posture.
Legal Strategy & Impact:
- Trump’s legal team claims the lawsuits netting $60M total have “changed behavior” in Silicon Valley.
- Media firms like Paramount and ABC News have also paid millions to resolve Trump-related claims.
(Source The New York Times)
—Agencies
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