YouTube has updated its impersonation policy to make things harder for accounts that try to impersonate popular creators and channels on the platform. The video-sharing platform now requires fan accounts to explicitly declare that they are not associated with the channel or person they are trying to celebrate.
"If you operate a fan channel, you have to make it obvious in your channel name or handle that your channel doesn't represent the original creator, artist or entity," the company said in a post spotted by 9to5Google.
As per the new policy that will come into effect on August 21, YouTube will take action if someone posts content that falls under channel impersonation or personal impersonation. It will terminate channels or accounts that try to mimic another channel's profile, background, or overall look "in such a way that makes it look like someone else's channel" and "reupload their content."
For instance, they might use differentiators like inserting an underscore or period in the handle or replacing the letter O with a zero. YouTube will crack down on channels trying to impersonate individuals by using information such as their real name, image, brand, or logo to trick people into believing they are that person or post comments across other channels.
The update also applies to channels that claim to be a fan account in their description but don't mention it "so clearly in the channel name or handle or posing as another’s channel and reuploading their content." YouTube hopes that the new guidelines will reduce the chances of people being misled by the channels they follow or the name and popularity of creators being used for malicious purposes.
Earlier this month, the Google-owned company made it easier for creators to join its partner program and monetize their channel. It is also pulling the plug on YouTube Stories in the coming days, a short video format YouTube launched back in 2017 while facing competition from Snapchat and Instagram.
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