Coronavirus Is Changing The Rules: YouTube Tells Creators To Expect More Video Removals
John V.
Posted On March 17, 2020
Coronavirus is changing the world. Real world, and that online too.
In the awake of coronavirus pandemic, YouTube has warned creators of coronavirus-related moderation changes that could impact their livelihood.
Google owned company announced new policy enforcement changes that will come about due to the company’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to YouTube, as it prioritizes employee health, the platform will, in the short term, rely less on human moderators to review content uploaded to the site. In their place, the company will lean more heavily on its automated review systems.
“Our Community Guidelines enforcement today is based on a combination of people and technology: Machine learning helps detect potentially harmful content and then sends it to human reviewers for assessment,” reads the statement. “As a result of the new measures we’re taking, we will temporarily start relying more on technology to help with some of the work normally done by reviewers. This means automated systems will start removing some content without human review, so we can continue to act quickly to remove violative content and protect our ecosystem, while we have workplace protections in place.”
As COVID-19 evolves, we’re doing our best to support those who watch, create, & make a living on YouTube. Many of us here & in our extended workforce are unable to work as usual, so we’re reducing staffing in certain offices, causing some disruptions → https://t.co/F5BjkMZ5Yn
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) March 16, 2020
What does this mean for many YouTube creators? Well, YouTube lays it out plainly: With less human eyes reviewing the content, the automated system is likely to remove more videos from the platform regardless of whether the content violates YouTube policy.
YouTube reiterates that the systems in place to appeal wrongfully removed content will continue to work. However, YouTubers should expect delays in appeal reviews. This means that if your content is erroneously taken down, you could be waiting awhile before YouTube reinstates the video.
As people around the world self-quarantine to fight the spreading coronavirus pandemic, online video platforms like YouTube are set to provide much needed relief for individuals looking for information or entertainment. This shift to a work-from-home culture will likely result in more time spent streaming content, which should bolster views for online creators.
