YouTube will start cracking down on fake accounts in August to prevent users from being misled and used for malicious purposes

YouTube recently announced a policy shift, slated to take effect from the 21st of August this year, targeting a crackdown on counterfeit content from renowned YouTube channels. This measure aims to safeguard the rights of content creators, and brands, and reduce the potential for unscrupulous individuals to garner undue benefits.

Whilst YouTube has consistently used mechanisms such as Content ID to ascertain whether uploaded videos infringe on copyrights or are plagiarised, there are always those who manage to slip through the cracks. They emulate more prestigious YouTube channels by uploading identical content, replicating descriptions, and even masquerading as creators or brands to interact with the online community, thereby bolstering their ‘credibility’.

Such situations are often orchestrated to swindle more viewing traffic and consequently monetise via YouTube’s ad revenue-sharing system. Alternatively, they may mimic well-known YouTube channels to increase the number of viewers on their accounts, or even use the accounts for malicious purposes, such as disseminating false information or engaging in fraudulent activities.

In an effort to curb such occurrences, YouTube’s newly instituted policy, effective from August 21, will begin combating imitation of YouTube accounts. Furthermore, it will prohibit the uploading of content identical to that of creators and brands, and disallow channels to bear an uncanny resemblance to others’ channels. It also bans mimicking existing news channels or replying to video comments under the guise of others, thereby reducing the likelihood of regular users being misguided by counterfeit content.