What does this mean for the future of free speech in the US?

What does this mean for the future of free speech in the US?

(Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash)

In a press release on September 23, 2025, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan made the following shocking announcement:

“Google Admits Censorship Under Biden; Promises to End Bans of YouTube Accounts of Thousands of Americans Censored for Political Speech.
Today, thanks to the oversight of Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Google commits to offering all creators previously kicked off YouTube due to political speech violations on topics such as COVID-19 and elections an opportunity to return to the platform.
Google also admitted the following to the House Judiciary Committee:
The Biden Administration pressured Google to censor Americans and remove content that did not violate YouTube’s policies.
The Biden Administration's censorship pressure was “unacceptable and wrong.”
Public debate should never come at the expense of relying on “authorities.”
The company will never use third-party “fact-checkers.”
Europe’s censorship laws target American companies and threaten American speech, including the removal of “lawful content.”
These major admissions come after Chairman Jordan’s subpoena to Google and a year-long investigation into the company.”

For their part, Google’s parent company Alphabet had this to say:

“This statement of facts is submitted on behalf of our client Alphabet, Inc. and its subsidiary YouTube (collectively, “Alphabet” or the “Company”) in response to subpoenas issued by the House Committee on the Judiciary (the “Committee”) on February 15, 2023, and March 6, 2025.
1. Throughout the Committee’s investigations, Alphabet provided responsive information to the Committee to fulfill its oversight responsibilities, producing internal records and providing extensive testimony, including more than 40 sets of responsive documents and the voluntary participation of 20 executives in the transcribed interviews.
2. Alphabet is a collection of businesses — the largest of which is Google. Alphabet’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Alphabet is committed to building helpful products for everyone, and the Company aspires to give all users the tools they need to increase their knowledge.
3. The Company is committed to doing its part to continue to keep the digital ecosystem safe, reliable, and open to free expression. Alphabet designs its products to work for everyone; bias towards a particular viewpoint is not in line with the Company’s values or the Company’s business interests. Alphabet’s business model depends on being a useful source of information for everyone, and a home for users of all backgrounds. As a result, Alphabet has a natural, long-term business incentive to apply and develop its policies consistently, impartially, and independently.”

Under the subheading “The Committee and Its Investigation,” Alphabet went on in stark terms.

“4. The Company appreciates the accountability from the House Judiciary Committee — led by Chairman Jim Jordan — and its critical role in advancing the core American value of freedom of expression.
5. The Company has a commitment to freedom of expression. This commitment is unwavering and will not bend to political pressure.”
6. Transparency regarding government interactions with private platforms is essential for fostering public trust and upholding principles of free expression; the Committee’s investigations brought to light new information that enhanced public understanding in this respect.”

Considering that bit about, “The Company has a commitment to freedom of expression. This commitment is unwavering and will not bend to political pressure,” the next section seems a bit contradictory.

Under the subheading “The Biden Administration and Alphabet,” the company explained.

“7. The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented time in which online platforms had to reach decisions about how best to balance freedom of expression with responsibility, including responsibility with respect to the moderation of user-generated content that could result in real world harm.
8. Senior Biden Administration officials, including White House officials, conducted repeated and sustained outreach to Alphabet and pressed the Company regarding certain user-generated content related to the COVID-19 pandemic that did not violate its policies. While the Company continued to develop and enforce its policies independently, Biden Administration officials continued to press the Company to remove non-violative user-generated content.
9. As online platforms, including Alphabet, grappled with these decisions, the Administration’s officials, including President Biden, created a political atmosphere that sought to influence the actions of platforms based on their concerns regarding misinformation.
10. It is unacceptable and wrong when any government, including the Biden Administration, attempts to dictate how the Company moderates content, and the Company has consistently fought against the efforts on First Amendment grounds.”

What will this mean for the future of free speech in America and around the world?

We will have to wait and see.

(Contributing writer, Brooke Bell)