Hi everyone, We know that comment and identity abuse-related spam is top of mind for the YouTube community, so today we’re sharing several updates that will help to better protect our viewers and creators from comment spam, as well as make it harder to impersonate creators. These updates (outlined below) are part of our ongoing work - and while we know there will never be just one fix, we're committed to continuously evolving our strategies to meet the challenges of spam detection and reduction. Updates: No longer allowing channels to ‘hide’ subscriber counts: To make it harder for people to impersonate other creators, YouTube channels will no longer be able to hide their subscriber counts as of July 29, 2022. We’ve seen bad actors hide their channels’ subscriber counts to impersonate larger, more prominent channels on YouTube - they pretend to be other creators in comments, then lure people to their impersonating channel page. We made this decision to help our community be safer as a whole but we recognize not all creators using this option are bad actors. We know some creators prefer to hide their subs count as they try to grow – if you want to learn more about establishing your fanbase, check out this resource. Improved creator comment moderation setting in YouTube Studio: All creators can use our new comment moderation setting to ‘Increase strictness’ in the “Held for review” tab. This is an optional feature that will filter out even more spam and identity abuse comments. Limiting the type and/or frequency of special characters in channel names: We’re reducing the character set available when choosing a channel name, as some characters can be used to impersonate channels. For example, channels won’t be able to update their name to something like” ¥ouⓉube✅” with this change. We’ll monitor the comments below for questions and feedback, and we’ll keep you posted on our ongoing efforts to continue reducing impersonation and spam (in comments and beyond) on our platform. - Meaghan, TeamYouTube

Jun 30, 2022

Updates to reduce comment spam and impersonation on YouTube

Announcement

Hi everyone,

We know that comment and identity abuse-related spam is top of mind for the YouTube community, so today we’re sharing several updates that will help to better protect our viewers and creators from comment spam, as well as make it harder to impersonate creators.

These updates (outlined below) are part of our ongoing work - and while we know there will never be just one fix, we're committed to continuously evolving our strategies to meet the challenges of spam detection and reduction.

Updates:

No longer allowing channels to ‘hide’ subscriber counts: To make it harder for people to impersonate other creators, YouTube channels will no longer be able to hide their subscriber counts as of July 29, 2022. We’ve seen bad actors hide their channels’ subscriber counts to impersonate larger, more prominent channels on YouTube - they pretend to be other creators in comments, then lure people to their impersonating channel page. We made this decision to help our community be safer as a whole but we recognize not all creators using this option are bad actors. We know some creators prefer to hide their subs count as they try to grow – if you want to learn more about establishing your fanbase, check out this resource.
Improved creator comment moderation setting in YouTube Studio: All creators can use our new comment moderation setting to ‘Increase strictness’ in the “Held for review” tab. This is an optional feature that will filter out even more spam and identity abuse comments.
Limiting the type and/or frequency of special characters in channel names: We’re reducing the character set available when choosing a channel name, as some characters can be used to impersonate channels. For example, channels won’t be able to update their name to something like” ¥ouⓉube✅” with this change.

We’ll monitor the comments below for questions and feedback, and we’ll keep you posted on our ongoing efforts to continue reducing impersonation and spam (in comments and beyond) on our platform.

- Meaghan, TeamYouTube

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Last edited Jun 30, 2022

All Replies (126)

User 18192129486661435741

Jun 30, 2022

Good job Yotube. I'm pretty sure, this is going to be really useful and helpful, making youtube a more pleasurable sight

PB CREATION EDITING

Feb 2, 2023

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User 5849113046851238891

Feb 2, 2023

Reply to Updates to reduce comment spam and impersonation on YouTube

YouTube•6/30/2022

Very much appreciated! This makes me happy. I expect the limiting of special characters in usernames will make a big difference especially👍

User 5498027404933282907

Feb 2, 2023

Please, I AM DESPERATELY BEGGING FOR HELP. There couldn’t be a clearer case of purposeful and way over guideline trolling than an entire channel dedicated, to STATING AS IS FACT, that my about me, is about every line is a lie, in my official about me. I’m a verified G Business in business a total freelance and company 35 years, I’m a verified google, partner, as well Twitter verified, This channel is have reported dozens of times, ALSO MAKES ALMOST EVERY SECOND OF EACH VIDEO, USING MY OWN CONTENT STOLEN FROM MY FACEBOOK PAGE. ITS SO BAD, HE STARTED 1. DISCORD SERVER TO talk to me, Tells ME YOUTUBE WONT STOP HIM, NOONE WILL STOP HIM, AND HE HASNT EVEN STARTED ON ME YET. I’M LAUNCHING( as in THEYRE launching) 4 channels that are all supported, legally monetized, or Sponsored via NCAA, NHL, AC DC Coverband, and a channel for-Business development! How can he run around like this??! Now, he’s linked a 2nd discord SERVER TO MAKE FUN IF ME, **** HE SOMEHOW IMPERSONATED MY ACCOUNT, AND GOT 8700 views he now stole, same pics vids, tags all my content he admits it in chat. Then he private the channel. Now he’s threatening UNLESS I PRODUCE MY original, DD214, and all my medical records, (I’m dying of stage IV sarcoidosis), he said noone will ever stop himg*g** ever. He’s hacked my IP ADDRESS AND live STREAMED IT! It WONT STOP! I continue to beg for help but other than copyright strikes I get no relief. Who can I talk to, he’s now targeting my business clients, saying I’m notorious for fraud, and family etc! Please don’t make me dig my heals in on this! Thankyou Michael, TY.

Last edited Feb 2, 2023

This Anti effectual procedure

Feb 2, 2023

I noticed that under certain people's videos there are a lot of these telegram messages from the spam bots. And they lead you to Instagram or they just plain give you a virus. Like I've seen them on that chapters video I've seen them on apr honchos And a few other channels. It will be nice though if the algorithm allowed littler video channels like myself to get views in for our videos to pop up on other people's stuff. Because I feel like unless you're monetized your videos don't get the time of day. And I don't think that's right. Y'all need to work on that

This Anti effectual procedure

Feb 2, 2023

Where did you read that it was being decreased? Cuz from my understanding you had to have 4 k watch hours in 20,000 watched hours. Did something change that I missed? You know what they should change? Is the fact that little litter channels like mine we put in so much work we don't have managed teams management teams, and our stuff is like blacklisted It doesn't pop up on anybody's stuff. You can't search for it. I feel like the littler channels don't get the time of day. And then the channels that are already monetized they get sponsorships they get donations they got like 50 other ways to get money but you don't qualify for none of that until you're monetized. It don't make a lick a sense and then they don't circulate your video so you can even have a chance to be monetized. And then they guidelines strike you for not age restricting your videos even if you age restrict your videos. It's ridiculous it's happened to me twice already

This Anti effectual procedure

Feb 2, 2023

Why would you want to hide that? That's kind of silly lmfao. It should have been public a long time ago. It really don't matter honestly. Because the big channels are still getting all the help. And all the little channels are going to continue to suffer and pretty much get black bald and not spread to any of the new viewership just like they've been doing. I feel like it's personal at this point. They're still going to continue to flag videos that are already marked for under 18 and tell us that we're doing something wrong just so they got something to whine about. They really ain't changed nothing, but they got to seem like they're making changes. So they don't appear to be as one-sided as they actually are.

This Anti effectual procedure

Feb 2, 2023

I think it's hilarious that they're claiming to make changes and anytime I ask for help nobody says or answers my questions lmfao. And then they took down one of my videos for supposedly not being marked appropriately for age. Even though all my videos are marked appropriately for age. Even though I have proof that it was marked appropriately and it's in my description that it's graphic and not meant for viewers under 18. But they flagged my videos they take them down they send me these nasty snippy little emails, talking about since I don't know what marking videos age-appropriately means then I guess they'll start doing it for me. Are you serious right now? I feel like it's one of those things that it doesn't matter what I say at this point. I appealed it I got rejected even though I had proof. My videos don't give views even though I put a ton of work into them. And then when they do start to get views those are the ones that YouTube goes and takes down. Even though like for example the clip of video that I used it was on the Tyree Nicholson case so a bunch of other people use that same clip, you think their videos got taken down? No they didn't. I reached out to YouTube on Twitter I reached out to them anywhere and everywhere I could think of and I never got an answer back. So I guess it just don't matter because I'm a small channel and they're not making anything so they can do what they want. It's just really bothers me how they say they care about content creators. And they give all this help to these content creators that are already monetized but if you're not monetized they're not trying to help you they're against you. Is really bothersome. Because you would really think that they would be trying to help these little our channels become something. But that's not the case that's not the case at all. Talk about feeling insignificant. But I enclosed where the videos were age restricted where they rejected my appeal when they try to take down my video. Because it wasn't just set to non-viewable for people under 18 You couldn't view it at all. That's what the problem was they took down my damn video. But you can clearly see that I had it marked age appropriately. Sorry for the long post just very frustrated at this point

User 8971461361914223257

Feb 2, 2023

Hay my youtube channel is community is enable please

Google user

Feb 2, 2023

Unfortunately, if your channel has been removed due to copyright infringement, we are unable to process your appeal. Please visit the YouTube Copyright Center for more information:

User 11213406058615047737

Feb 2, 2023

Good job Yotube. I'm pretty sure, this is going to be really useful and helpful, making youtube a more pleasurable sight

User 1315064354822750356

Feb 2, 2023

Thanks YouTube

User 12025978239618145264

Feb 10, 2023

Thanks for your help you tube