Friday, March 29, 2024

YouTube is un-verifying channels as it updates its verification policies

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The policy is also changing the verified checkmark to a dark gray background.

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What you need to know

  • YouTube is changing its requirements to become verified on the platform.
  • Previously, channels with 100,000 subscribers were able to get verified with no proof of authenticity.
  • The verified checkmark is also being retired in favor of a dark gray background behind the channel’s name.

Some big changes are coming to how YouTube verifies accounts and how that verification is displayed. Previously, YouTube allowed any channel with 100,000 subscribers to become verified without any “proof of authenticity.”

Starting in October, it is about to get a lot more difficult to get verified, and many channels will lose the verified status in the process. Emails to creators began going out yesterday informing them of the upcoming changes. Per the email:

We’re writing to let you know that we’re updating the eligibility criteria for channel verification on YouTube. Unfortunately, with the changes, your channel no longer meets the criteria to be verified. We realize this might be disappointing, but we believe these updates will make channel verification more consistent for users and creators across YouTube.

Going forward, YouTube will require proof of authenticity and will make the decision based on the prominence of the YouTube channel, using criteria such as:

  • Authenticity: does this channel belong to the real creator, artist, public figure or company it claims to represent?

  • Prominence: does this channel represent a well-known or highly searched creator, artist, public figure or company? Is this channel widely recognized outside of YouTube and have a strong presence online? Is this a popular channel that has a very similar name to many other channels?

Along with the changes in requirements to become a verified channel, YouTube is also changing the look of the verification badge. It found that the checkmark was confusing to users who interpreted it as an “endorsement of content, not identity.” Now, YouTube will remove the checkmark and music note from musicians accounts for a more ambiguous dark grey background behind the name.

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The post from Google also informs creators that there is no longer a process to request channel verification. Instead, if your channel has lost its verification, you can appeal the process here. You will need to appeal before the end of October when changes are finalized and there is still no guarantee that you will win your appeal and regain your verified status.

YouTube: Everything you need to know

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