YouTube Pays Ro408.8 Billion To Complete Donald Trump's Lawsuit

YouTube paid a fine for Trump's lawsuit (photo' X @WhiteHouse)

JAKARTA YouTube agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump a few years ago because of his suspended account. The video platform will pay a fine.

Trump's account suspension occurred after the damage to the US Capitol Building in January 2021. As a result of this suspension, YouTube needed to pay USD 24.5 million (IDR 408.9 billion) to end the lawsuit.

The settlement, which was filed in court on Monday, September 29, made Google the third tech giant to reach an agreement with Trump. Apart from Google, Trump is also suing Twitter, which is now X, and Meta's Facebook.

The three of them are accused of illegally silencing conservative views. Just like Google, Meta and Twitter also agreed to settle the lawsuit by paying a fine. Payments were made earlier this year.

Based on YouTube's settlement, most of the funds, amounting to 22 million US dollars (Rp. 367.2 billion), will be paid in Trump's name to Trust for the National Mall. This is a non-profit agency that will build a $200 million ballroom at the White House.

The 8,361.27 square meter facility is expected to be completed long before Trump's four-year term ends. The remaining settlement funds will be given to other plaintiffs in this case.

Other plaintiffs who will receive the remaining funds include the American Conservative Union, which sponsors Conservative Political Action Conference, and US writer Naomi Wolf. However, in this agreement, YouTube did not admit his guilt.

YouTube juga tidak akan membuat perubahan produk atau kebijakan apa pun berdasarkan penyelesaian yang disepakat. Perlu dicatat, pada tahun 2021, akun Trump hanya tertunda dari mengunggah video baru, dan akunanya telah dimulihkan pada tahun 2023.