To curb impersonation, YouTube fan channels are getting strict policies. YouTube took to its community page to announce this improvement and also alert fan channels on the coming change. Now most of these channels are to make certain changes or adjustments to the various accounts they run or face the consequences.
This policy change is coming in light of the influx of fan channels on the video-sharing platform. Most of these channels are not what they claim to be, as they are more into stealing content and impersonation. Reposting a video without tagging the creator or using a channel’s avatar or banner on a so-called fan page is now so common on YouTube.
With this change in the YouTube impersonation policy, most content creators will be able to protect their work from being stolen. Also, it will help guide those scrolling through YouTube to know the actual source of the videos that they enjoy watching. Let’s now have a look at the changes to the YouTube impersonation policies.
Details on the new impersonation policies that will affect some YouTube fan channels
In a bid to fight impersonation on its platform, YouTube is changing some of its policies. This change might spell the end for some accounts now present on YouTube, masquerading as fan accounts. Instead of these accounts acknowledging the works of content creators, they are outrightly stealing these works from them.
Now, the video-sharing platform requires all fan accounts to clearly state their objective. This means that fan accounts have to point out through their “channel name or handle” that their channel isn’t representing the source of their posts. By doing this, they’d be able to make it clear to other users that they have no link to the creator (source of the videos they repost) but they are only their fans.
In the coming months, permit fan accounts that outrightly repost the content of others on the platform. Also, fan accounts that make use of an original account’s logo, avatar, banner, or other identifying elements will face punishment. YouTube tags these actions as impersonation and not fandom, any account doing this will face some penalties.
The new impersonation policy will go into effect on August 21, 2023, so all fan accounts can make necessary changes. These will include brushing up their channel to not look like that of the YouTuber they are fans of. Failure to make these changes before the deadline will mean that the fan account will be deleted for violation of the impersonation policy.