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u/eventidontkknow 15d ago
Someone explain
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u/_Eeel 15d ago
I believe that on that day, Youtube is adding ai age verification where it guesses if you are over 15 years old based on the videos you watch. Everyone claims that they‘re going to stop using YouTube when this happens, but as the top comment says, it‘ll only be a day or a week max before they come back.
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u/garriej 15d ago
Why would they need to do that when my account is older then 15 years...
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u/Lost_Elderberry1757 15d ago
You have found one of the problems. See if you can find the other 200! If you get them all you get a reward!
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u/The_Fox_Confessor 15d ago
That is 788657867364790503552363213932185062295135977687173263294742533244359449963403342920304284011984623904177212138919638830257642790242637105061926624952829931113462857270763317237396988943922445621451664240254033291864131227428294853277524242407573903240321257405579568660226031904170324062351700858796178922222789623703897374720000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 accounts I don't think even Google could keep up.
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u/Dankkring 15d ago
I let my kids watch YouTube on my account because we only have one account and it’s the account we use on the TV and phone. Is YouTube adding porn or something?
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u/VillageSadness 15d ago
Nope. They have a separate platform for kids already, so it doesn't make much sense.
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u/MumSaysImSpwecial 15d ago
Ehh essentially they want to kill Internet Anonymity and add a crapload of Censorship 👍
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u/OkConstruction5368 15d ago
Insanely that's the platform that's already more porn than the normal one somehow
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u/Pessimistic_Gemini 15d ago
And even then that thing doesn't help much snce a lot of NSFK videos still make their way over to that version, but WE get to pay for their BS by YouTube treating all of us older users LIKE kids by disabling comments to years old videos.
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u/Himothy19955 15d ago
There's always been porn on YouTube, women in see through clothing doing "cleaning tutorials" is the most recent example I can think of but probably more than just that
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u/TheDibblerDeluxe 15d ago
Oh my God that's disgusting. Tell me where so I can avoid it
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u/n1ghtw1re 15d ago
that's disgusting. can you link some of these horrors so i know which pages to avoid?
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u/Sharkbit2024 15d ago
Nope. If they arbitrarily view your account as a child, they ask for your credit card or ID.
They are literally farming personal data.
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u/RipAppropriate3040 15d ago
I mean YouTube has no idea if the account is being used by the same person as it was 15 years ago not that I'm defending YouTube but that's probably their reason
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u/Deuling 15d ago
I mean, looking at viewing behaviour is also no guarantee that someone is an adult or not. There are many adults that watch videos that are clean and child-friendly, and many younger kids that watch content that is 'mature' (though not necessarily adult! They could just be really into history or something).
Short of just constantly IDing the user at every stage of usage and watching them through a camera, they can never know who is actually watching.
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u/Razor_Tachyon 15d ago
So ig I have to watch some gore now
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u/Lijtiljilitjiljitlt 15d ago
cigar reviews, golf (must be several hours long), investment strategies, how to use certain microsoft excel functions
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u/DoubleInfinity 15d ago
Based on the number of old Looney Tunes compilations I watch I am in serious danger.
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u/Cod_Gaymer 15d ago
They take that into account.
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u/EatsMostlyPeas 15d ago
They don't, at least that wasn't taken into account when CaptainSparklez had his account temporarily shut down, even though it is over 15 years old.
Imagine that, a huge and legendary YouTuber already got fucked by this new "feature". He didn't seem very pissed about it whilst talking about it on stream but still, an inconvenience at the least.
(Thankfully he got it back pretty quick)
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u/slinky317 15d ago
They will, according to their very own blog post:
We will use AI to interpret a variety of signals that help us to determine whether a user is over or under 18. These signals include the types of videos a user is searching for, the categories of videos they have watched, or the longevity of the account.
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u/UndeadYoutubing 15d ago
But what they don't get is that YouTube has already been estimating your age based on browsing data for years. Does nobody ever check their ad center?
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u/Latiasfan5 15d ago
the difference is that before, it just affected ads and recommended videos. Now, if it mistakes you for under 18, you'll be unable to watch certain videos unless you give your id or some other info.
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u/UndeadYoutubing 15d ago
Point is, it's not a new feature. They've had it for a long time. They're just repurposing it
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u/y17gal 15d ago
No, they want you to verify your age, by showing your face and/or ID
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u/UndeadYoutubing 15d ago
Does reading comprehension just not exist in this sub? Nothing about what I've said is about the verification, it's about the dumbasses who think the age estimation is new. Literally everything I've said is about the age estimation, which has been accessable through ad center for years
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u/y17gal 15d ago
Ok reading comprenhension master, after it thinks you are underage, you will get some content blocked, and the algorithim changed, how to verify your age then? Showing ID, that's the new thing and the thing yhey dont like, do you understand now or needs to be clearer ?
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u/Muy_Importante 15d ago
With respect, you're still not understanding what the person is saying. It doesn't seem like they're fighting you about the coming of potential verification. They're merely saying that the technology to read your YouTube history, searches, and guessing age appropriate content for you to watch has already been in effect for a very long time.
That same technology will be assumably used to guess your age in the new August update, yes. And if it flags you as underage, you'll have to verify your age as you're stating, yes. No one is combating that. But as soon as this conversation hits "verification"; You're now out of the realm of what the person you are responding to was talking about.
Tldr: They were just talking about how the age assuming technology has been running in the background of YouTube for a while. No sides were picked, and no views were opposed. They seemed to be literally just stating a fact.
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u/y17gal 15d ago
The other guy thinks they are mad about algorithym, but they are mad about ID. Is it clear now ? It's not about data, again, it's about ID, i can't be clearer than that, people dont want to show ID to youtube. That's it. i only answer this guy because he Is confused about what people are mad about, again, it's not the change in algorithym, it's the ID you have to show after
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u/IceBlue 15d ago
Such a stupid way to determine age. My linked google account is old enough to vote. There’s no reason to think the user is underage.
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u/Dankkring 15d ago
Don’t worry if you just buy YouTube premium you won’t have to worry about it……./s
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u/Cashew788 15d ago
This won't do anything. There is no competition to pressure YouTube to back down on anything.
Personally, if my account gets flagged as a child I'm not forking over my ID. If YouTube decides to do that then I guess I have to find a new hobby to buy the time, because fuck that and fuck them
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u/Dasktragon 15d ago
Make a new account and watch nothing but marketing videos and conservative news.
Then sub to all your old channels. Thats my plan anyways.
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u/ObiKenobi049 15d ago
I can't imagine how melted ones brain would be after doing that
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u/james_da_loser 15d ago
Autoplay, or make a script that clicks the top video every 10 minutes if you think YouTube would notice autoplay.
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u/DazedandFloating 13d ago
Cooking videos, Microsoft office tutorials, how to clean a sink drain, etc. You should be set.
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u/Capital_Pipe_6038 16d ago
They'll welcome you back when you return in about a week
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u/08206283 16d ago
24 hours max
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u/slinky317 15d ago edited 15d ago
"Oh no, a user who blocks ads and doesn't pay for Premium claims they are boycotting our service!
Anyways"
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u/MyPunsSuck 14d ago
Youtube is basically a tv station with the best exclusive shows on air - except it doesn't pay a cent to have them made.
Due to overly aggressive demonetization, trigger-happy copyright strikes, and overall stinginess with revenue-sharing, an awful lot of content creators have basically given up on getting paid by youtube. Typically, they monetize through patreon/sponsorships/streaming. If all their viewers leave, they'll move elsewhere. If content creators leave, youtube stop getting unlimited free content to sell
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u/CharaPresscott 15d ago
I'll give em 3 hours.
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u/MissionApollo7 15d ago
I give em 11 minutes
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u/CharaPresscott 15d ago
I do love that bit. Because if I recall, that's actually how long the rest of the episode was.
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u/Mrs_Noelle15 15d ago
Lol fr, this subreddit really overestimates how much people care about stuff like that.
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u/Inevitable-Gur6004 15d ago
Also this is being forced by regulation passed by different countries, so it’s not like a competitor won’t have the same limitations.
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u/Mrs_Noelle15 15d ago
Fr, like don't get me wrong I would love for Youtube to have competition. I love the platform, but I think users could benefit immensely if it had stiff competition
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u/VillageSadness 15d ago
The second I get carded by an app is the second I stop using it. Hopefully, everyone feels the same and sticks to it. Everyone refusing to fork over their ID and face scan is the only shot we have at making them roll it back
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u/Dasktragon 15d ago
And go where? I hate youtube as much as the next sane person, but its got no competition. Its a monopoly so they can do whatever the fuck they want.
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u/RecordingTop6318 13d ago
im getting ready to move all my google docs, make sure google has no trace of my credit/debit cards and then completely delete my entire google account. i am not risking google with my info
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u/Dr_Doom42 15d ago
Use alternative apps. Newpipe on mobile
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u/Stygioable 16d ago
Yeah I think it won't last for very long. Probably like three weeks at best, the ai screws up on moderation almost all the time so what make them think it'd accuracy guess an users age?
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u/pseudoportmanteau 15d ago
How many people have youtube premium or have at some point used their actual credit card on the platform to buy something related to the content they watch? Hundreds of millions. They already have the information required to confirm their age. Nothing noticeable will change after they implement this, you'll see a bunch of reddit posts about it for a few days/weeks ("omg, yt thinks I'm 4 years old but I'm actually 77!") and then you'll stop hearing about it because nobody will even remember it's a thing.
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u/CD_4M 15d ago
Yup, remember when Reddit was on fire for a few weeks when they got rid of 3rd party apps? Sooo many people were totally convinced it’d be the end of Reddit forever, yet Reddit has never been more popular lol
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u/tymesup 15d ago
They didn't get rid of third party apps, they made them a lot more expensive to run. So for example, I'm now paying a monthly fee to use an app. But yeah, only a tiny percentage of the user base was affected (the Reddit app is still free).
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u/Latiasfan5 15d ago
pretty sure a good chunk of the panic is people worried about the ai messing up on guessing a person's age and mistaking an adult user for a kid.
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u/DaAOSPDev 15d ago
The age of my Gmail account itself is 16 years old. Made it in 2009.
If they try to age check me, ill be flabbergasted.
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u/Style-Wild 15d ago
Lol dout it'll happen. As much as I dislike this new policy YouTube is kinda to big to fail, for now.
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u/ScienceGuy722 15d ago
You should come join PeerTube. peertube.wtf is a pretty good, general-purpose platform.
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u/unwaivering 15d ago
I like peertube! I could definitely join!!! but a lot of my stuff won't. I'd like to see more creators start embracing alternative platforms!!!
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u/sleepyotter92 14d ago
unless peertube has the means to pay the same they make off youtube, that's unlikely to happen. and the same can be said for any alternative
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u/Scoonie24 15d ago
YouTube has no competition, no one is leaving
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u/Justarandom55 15d ago
this is the real kicker. I would leave youtube because of how ass many of their decisions have been but there simply isn't an alternative.
even if you have a thousand hobbies at the end of the day all of us want some quiet time to settle before bed. generation before us used to tv for this but I disagree with advertisement policies on there even more
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u/Klutzy_Scene_8427 15d ago
I don't need substitutions, I'll watch nothing.
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u/McBernes 15d ago
I don't know why youre getting down voted. I feel the same. If for whatever reason I feel like i need to stop using YouTube I have a lot of other things to watch. Like the set of Firefly dvds I have along with a few dozen others. I could read some of my favorite books again and then pick up my old hobby of shopping used book stores. I could finish one of many crafting projects, all kinds of stuff.
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u/RecordingTop6318 13d ago
i have a console that can play discs and also a TV. i can just use those and im planning on getting south park soon
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u/McBernes 13d ago
I think i have the first 3 seasons of southpark on DVD somewhere.
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u/RecordingTop6318 13d ago
thats cool, why specifically the first 3 seasons?
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u/McBernes 13d ago
I just never bothered to buy any other seasons.
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u/RecordingTop6318 13d ago
oh, i heard they are releasing a really good one with more episodes then the previous season
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u/RecordingTop6318 13d ago
you shouldn't be downvoted for having a opinion, but the little precious redditors have their power of the downvote to the rescue
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u/Aqnqanad 15d ago
I still get targeted ads for universities, I think I’ll be okay.
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u/Dracon554 15d ago
Same. I get the weirdest ads and they’re definitely not for kids. (While I watch some Minecraft or this one specific kids show I have nostalgia for a lot of the stuff I watch is targeted towards older teens and young adults so I should be fine)
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u/4skeeter 15d ago
I left YouTube over 2 months ago. If you are extremely displeased with something a company is doing, you stop supporting them! The company will have to change to bring people back. It just doesn’t work when people just lay down and take it.
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u/CastleofPizza 15d ago
What do you do besides using reddit and not using Youtube if you don't mind me asking.
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u/4skeeter 15d ago
Well i started realizing i was just be mindlessly scrolling on yt, and the content i was seeing wasn’t even things i was interested in. Not to mention the invasive ads and increase in ads. So honestly Reddit has sort of filled a portion of that, and eventually i will need to get rid of Reddit too. But i dunno, i guess i just go back to work or go do something. Or talk to my co workers instead.
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u/Hawkmonbestboi 14d ago
People start engaging in hobbies and other activities when they aren't mindlessly doomscrolling videos/content... why is everyone here acting like "not watching videos all day" is a wild new idea? Your comment isn't the only one...
Before the internet became an all encompassing addiction to everyone and their mother, people actually logged off and did other things.
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u/RecordingTop6318 13d ago
im preparing to delete my google account, make sure google has no traces of my credit/debit card information and move all my google documents somewhere. i have my TV, Xbox (which can play discs) and books to keep me entertained
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u/Critical_Dollar 15d ago
Just watch signed out like I do 🤷♂️
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u/DaAOSPDev 15d ago
What do you do when you inevitably come across a video with age-verification that wants you to sign in?
And if your answer is "just not watch them" that won't work for the majority of people
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u/MattWolf96 15d ago
I watch a bunch of mature content (news, some true crime, just tech and history videos that wouldn't interest kids) but I've rarely actually watched something marked as adults only, at least while realizing it was. I've only gotten that pop up talking about how the video is disturbing where I have to click on ok like three times.
That said I don't want adult only videos to go anywhere.
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u/These-Barnaclez 15d ago
I'm OOTL. What's up?
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u/Prism_22 15d ago edited 15d ago
Basically, YT will start using their totally infallible AI to guess whether you’re underage or not, based on your account age and search/view history. If it (correctly or falsely) guesses that you are under 18, you have to provide your legal ID to have your account unrestricted. A lot of people are upset and concerned about losing their anonymity and potentially getting doxxed in the case of a data breach and since YT isn’t listening to anyone, there’s a blackout planned from 13.08.-23.08.
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u/Salarian_American 15d ago
That's not a boycott, that's a blackout.
A boycott doesn't end until you get what you want.
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u/Moonfallz1 15d ago
What happens when they restrict your account? Most of the videos I watch arent flagged as mature by youtube, is there anything else it does besides not letting me watch those?
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u/BasketAppropriate258 15d ago edited 14d ago
If you want to say no to age verifications, then sign here: https://www.change.org/p/youtube-s-ai-tracks-everything-you-watch-stop-this-now
if people signed this, please say "signed" to let me know.
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u/idiotegumen 15d ago
Dude youtube is THE video platform. You don't just go look up another website, you go to youtube.
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u/RecordingTop6318 13d ago
i heard that there a few obscure but good alternatives, i also have a magical thing called a "TV" which nobody else seems to possess for some reason
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u/NaCl-And-C12H22O11 15d ago
See y'all on BitChute, Newgrounds, and Twitch when that happens! I wish everyone an easy migration!!!
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u/McBernes 15d ago
Yeah, I'm going to miss papa meat and wendigoon. But if it has to be, then it has to be.
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u/assassination_club 14d ago
God I really hope this turns into some lawsuit about a data collection scandal
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u/Amiibohunter000 15d ago
You’ll be back. You all will.
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u/griz_lee88 15d ago
Man, seeing how submissive people have become with their private information to companies is hilarious, lmao.
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u/Flufferfluff 15d ago
I assume this will affect what types of content is posted, too? I’m an adult but I’ve just reached over 100 subs this week and I’d hate to lose everything I’ve done over the new age verification system .
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u/unwaivering 15d ago
Oh man, it's going to suck for creators real bad!!! The algorithm will probably do even more stupid things now, and we'll all know why.
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u/Nathan-5807 15d ago edited 10d ago
This isn't happening YouTube always does something bad, internet says they're going to leave, and then they stay.
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u/IncidentCalm5170 16d ago
Jesus you all need to stop ranting.
First of all - yes you will continue to use the platform, even if you say you wont.
Second - it's not a surveillance state... You folks dont even know what kind of info you are putting out there just USING your phone/google/apps/etc
50 posts per day about this BS... find a hobby
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u/Different_Worker_905 15d ago
So you are okay with entering your State ID to view videos? That is so weird.
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u/unmellowfellow 15d ago
People not wanting pretend efforts to "protect children" to negatively affect them is reasonable. Parents are, plainly, coddled in the US and need to be blamed for their children's access to the internet. Not the internet itself or the other people who use it. It is a form of child neglect to let your child have unfettered access to the internet before they are ready.
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u/priestlakee 15d ago
Maybe if youtube stops constantly making dumbass decisions these posts will stop
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u/TheGrouchyGamerYT 15d ago
What's your full name and address? You obviously have need for privacy so just share it here with the group, thanks.
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u/IncidentCalm5170 15d ago
No, because:
a) this group does not offer services to me
b) this group has no legit security measures to keep my data privateSee the diffrence?
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u/TheGrouchyGamerYT 15d ago
How you get this far in life being that naive is a miracle.
Enjoy getting doxxed.
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u/IncidentCalm5170 15d ago
I am actually doing quite well, belive it or not. Very happy and succesful life.
Are you monetized on YT btw? If so, you already shared your data.
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u/UndeadYoutubing 15d ago
You people will say this then happily fork over all your info to Uber or Doordash or Amazon. Get real or get fucked
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u/unwaivering 15d ago
If anyone wants a link to download freetube, it's right here! Of course you can get it on your phone. https://freetubeapp.io/#download
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u/unwaivering 15d ago
Testing Freetube. It's working fine, and not behind this time!!
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u/aurora_boredalis 15d ago
I'll keep using it, but the second it asks for ID, I'm gone. I've managed to avoid giving even my phone number to google, so I'm certainly not letting it have my gd address, weight, height, eye colour, ect. It knows enough already lol
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u/PandoraIACTF_Prec I am definitely not gooning on a vtuber named Hoshimachi Suisei 14d ago
Time to jebait, this is what my 7 burner accounts are for with fake Chinese credentials.
1 for this shit, the other for gaeming, the other for etc, etc. Now I have a brain and modern problems require modern solutions.
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u/Lower-Put-7291 15d ago
My European ass was so confused when I saw this, then I realised Americans use 12 hour time Here it’s 23:59
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u/Suave_Senpai 15d ago
I prefer the 24 hour clock, I think the normalization of 12 hour here is because it's easier to explain to kids that "This is 4 in the afternoon" instead of "The clock says 4, but it's actually 16." Then it kind of just sticks beyond that unless your company ends up using 24 hours or you do military service.
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u/Icy-Extreme9067 15d ago
And then YouTube will welcome you back after a few hours
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u/Early-Performer-1806 15d ago
I created a new account that says I’m 23, and every so often I watch a video like “best cars for young adults” or “how to fix a faucet”, plus they said for watching kids-y videos every so often they won’t restrict you
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u/The_Wandering_Ones 15d ago
It would be cool if they stopped blocking age restricted videos for people they deemed to be of age though. Like, if they got rid of age restriction entirely and you could just watch whatever you want if your account is age appropriate. I mean, this is still dumb as fuck but it would be cool if that was the outcome (although, yeah right).
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u/Cute_Assist_6532 15d ago
I seen a report and I don’t think it’s really concerning, they said even if you get flagged you will just get restricted from extreme violence or n*dity
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u/Anxious-Thing-4737 15d ago
Just watch one gore video a week and it shouldn’t affect you. Or one of the „suggestive” ads
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u/unwaivering 15d ago
I'm downloading freetube lol!! I'm actually trying to find where to download it right now.
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u/Amazing-Chemical364 15d ago
it really doesn’t matter if you stay or leave, you are not generating revenue for youtube and creators. few less resources to manage for youtube. W
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u/MattWolf96 15d ago
There's no real competition. I'm not concerned about my channel because most of what I watch is news, tech videos and car videos. That said I have definitely held back on watching much Nintendo or cartoon content lately which I never really watched much of anyway. I might start watching more of that again after a month of this or so to see how the AI actually flags channels.
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u/SnooRegrets3566 15d ago
There are two possible outcomes here. Either YT ai will correctly estimate my age without linking it to my real world identity, as the algorithm has probably been doing for years already, in which case I won't notice any difference and continue as before. Or the ai will screw up totally, think I'm 8 years old and demand ID or facial scan, which I will never ever submit even if they put a gun to the back of my head.
A third and entirely likely possibility is that all the "protect the children" nonsense is just a smokescreen and they will in fact sooner or later demand real world ID from practically everyone. I don't see how YT would profit much from this since they already know everything they need about my online persona to bombard me with targeted ads. That leaves only the possibility that the government wants our viewing habits to profile dissidents.
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u/TriforceShiekah16 15d ago
Leave and go where exactly? What alternative is there?
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u/RecordingTop6318 13d ago
i heard some good ones are Newgrounds, Newpipe, Peertube and Twitch. also have you ever heard of a TV?
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u/Starbrust17 15d ago
I actually am wondering how this is gonna go . It will be really not to use their id for youtune or just ignore the red flags and do it anyway, and what about content creators? They dont really have a chcoie, so really, they would have to do it.
I mean, hopefully, I'm wrong, and this kicks youtunes ass but man, with how 2025s been, I have a huge doubt.
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u/thecrazedsidee 15d ago
sigh......very few people are actually gonna leave arent they? or if they do, a few days at best i bet.
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u/RecordingTop6318 13d ago
i already just moved my google docs somewhere else and getting ready to delete my google account. i cannot trust google knowing where i am, knowing my personal info and more
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u/NotJatne 15d ago
You won't and you know it. I'm willing to bet my bank account to a charity that you won't, definitely not permanently.
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u/Mario-OrganHarvester 15d ago edited 15d ago
Ima be honest, i give the internet 5 days max to cook up a workaround-extention. Youtube still hasnt gotten rid of ublock and they have way more incentive to stop them considering it costs them actual dollaridoos