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The ftc acts as if the content creator is in control: He can choose to monetize his website through YouTube or not. In practice YouTube is a defacto monopoly fo

The ftc acts as if the content creator is in control: He can choose to monetize his website through YouTube or not. In practice YouTube is a defacto monopoly for these kinds of websites. Now the creators ask YouTube: please give us an option to have channels that are free of under 13 viewers. It is not my target demographic, and while your own analytics tell me there are a few of those watching, I do not want them here. Either block them or if they show up just comply with COPA and don't track them, OK? But then YouTube goes: no can do. We either track everyone or no-one, your choice, and BTW n the latter case, we will decimate your revenue. But you are as always free to leave for some other webhost. LOL! Hey, and BTW, if you do indicate that your channel is not directed at kids, you are hereby informed that it is 100% you that is on the line, not us, if the FTC decides otherwise as we do nothing with all that analytics we have to turn away the kids from your doorstep. So content creators are left up shit creeck without a paddle.

babuskov 7y ago
> Either block them... Can't you already do this by setting the age rating on your videos?
- manigandham 7y ago
  That's limited to 18 and older, and it basically flags the video as mature content and removes it from recommendations and disables ads.
morsch 7y ago
I'm sure at least a few gaming related YouTube creators are wondering how this affects them and if a Twitch presence -- which many of them maintain anyway -- isn't a better alternative. YouTube doesn't have a monopoly in that subculture at least.
- Macha 7y ago
  Most of the gaming ones I've watched have either moved entirely to twitch or reduced their youtube content to sliced up twitch vods anyway. Since the "apocalypse"/brand safety changes, many of them have said YT isn't really worth it from a rev perspective.
manigandham 7y ago
Even worse is that Youtube can and will override your classification if it deems a video to be for children, and it now has automatic bots to do so, along with a lengthy appeals process where you remain without data and exposed to legal risk. This was requested by the COPPA politicians as a "technology backstop" as they always misunderstand how tech and AI works, and were warned that it would lead to bad side effects like this.

babuskov 7y ago

> Either block them... Can't you already do this by setting the age rating on your videos?

manigandham 7y ago
That's limited to 18 and older, and it basically flags the video as mature content and removes it from recommendations and disables ads.

morsch 7y ago

I'm sure at least a few gaming related YouTube creators are wondering how this affects them and if a Twitch presence -- which many of them maintain anyway -- isn't a better alternative. YouTube doesn't have a monopoly in that subculture at least.

Macha 7y ago
Most of the gaming ones I've watched have either moved entirely to twitch or reduced their youtube content to sliced up twitch vods anyway. Since the "apocalypse"/brand safety changes, many of them have said YT isn't really worth it from a rev perspective.

manigandham 7y ago

Even worse is that Youtube can and will override your classification if it deems a video to be for children, and it now has automatic bots to do so, along with a lengthy appeals process where you remain without data and exposed to legal risk. This was requested by the COPPA politicians as a "technology backstop" as they always misunderstand how tech and AI works, and were warned that it would lead to bad side effects like this.