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Youtubes Requirement for Government ID: Difference between revisions

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{{StubNotice}}
{{IncidentCargo
{{IncidentCargo
|StartDate=2025-07-30
|StartDate=2025-07-30
|Status=Active
|Status=Active
|ProductLine=Youtube
|ProductLine=YouTube
|Product=Youtube
|Product=Youtube
|ArticleType=Service
|ArticleType=Service
|Type=Digital restrictions
|Type=Digital restrictions
|Description=Youtube is requiring Users to give their government id to verify that they are adults, otherwise Users will be locked out of content.
|Description=YouTube is requiring Users to give their government id to verify that they are adults, otherwise Users will be locked out of content.
}}Users privacy is being violated by [https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition Youtube's new policy]. The policy requires Users to provide government issued id in order to access content.  
}}
[[YouTube]] has implemented an AI-powered age verification system, which will scan the user's channel history to determine their age. If the user is deemed to be under the age of 18, they will lose access to age-restricted videos and certain site features, unless a government-issued ID or video verification is provided.


==Background==
==Background==
Youtube is a social media site created on [https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/when-was-youtube-created February 14th, of 2005.] It allows Users to both upload and view video form content from their electronic devices. Over time, certain individuals, known as [https://influencermarketinghub.com/content-creators-youtube content creators,] began to make a living off this platform. As popularity of the platform grew, more requirements became necessary. However, more recently, Youtube has been using the requirements as a loophole to take more away from the User.
[[YouTube]] is a social media site created on February 14th, 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=YouTube turns 20! The numbers behind the platform |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/ztq2g2p |url-status=live |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |website=BBC Bitesize}}</ref> It allows users to upload and view videos from their electronic devices. As the platform has grown in popularity, some content creators have begun to make significant amounts of revenue from their videos, with some creators able to use their earnings as a primary source of income.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Creator Economy |url=https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/creator-economy/#:~:text=Revenue%20Sharing,the%20Shorts%20Feed. |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Molenaar |first=Koba |title=15 of the Most Popular Content Creators on YouTube to Check Out |url=https://influencermarketinghub.com/content-creators-youtube/ |url-status=live |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |website=Influencer Marketing Hub}}</ref>


==Youtubes Government ID Requirement==
==YouTube's Government ID Requirement==
Recently, on [https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition July 30th, 2025,] Youtube has announced that they will be testing a new feature on its platform which requires Users to provide government issued id to verify if they are 18. If Users refuse, their account will be unable to access any content. This is in response to the UK's [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer Online Safety Act.] This act requires companies to verify their User's ages on their platform. This however, violates America's [https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1 first amendment right] to prohibit the free speech of people and/or the press.
On July 29th, 2025, in response to the [[UK Online Safety Act|UK's Online Safety Act]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Online Safety Act: explainer |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer |url-status=live |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |website=GOV.UK}}</ref> [[YouTube]] announced that it will be testing a new feature on its platform which scans each user's channel history (including viewed videos) with AI, to which in case of determination that the user is underage (regardless of birthdate in [[Google]] account), a government issued ID or video verification will be required to verify that the user is at least 18 years old.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beser |first=James |date=29 Jul 2025 |title=Extending our built-in protections to more teens on YouTube |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/extending-our-built-in-protections-to-more-teens-on-youtube/#:~:text=We%20will%20use,for%20younger%20users. |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=YouTube Official Blog}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Michael |date=30 Jul 2025 |title=YouTube is Rolling Out A New Controversial Feature |url=https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |url-status=live |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |website=GameRant}}</ref> If the user refuses, their account will be unable to access age restricted, "potentially mature content" (which has been shown to include several videos critical of [[Google]] and [[YouTube]]{{Citation needed}}, whether by coincidence or not) and content deemed as problematic for repetitive consumption, on top of losing access to many creator features and abilities, if they were activated prior.
 
===Youtube's Response===
 
Youtube has [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L9Bzu9aca8&t=116s responded] stating that "This will not be required for all Users," and, "We have always had the option for age verification via id or credit card if the user is incorrectly estimated to be under 18." Although, they have not corrected [https://www.uscreen.tv/blog/how-to-survive-youtube-demonetization/#:~:text=YouTube%20demonetization%20happens%20when%20a,process%20is%20largely%20the%20same.) previous errors with AI] they had in the past.
==Lawsuit==


YouTube has [https://x.com/TeamYouTube/status/1950958354349633946 responded] stating that "This won’t be required for all users. We’ve always had the option for age verification via ID or credit card if someone is incorrectly estimated to be under 18." This most likely refers to their eligibility system for advanced creator features, of which ID and/or video verification is a method of gaining access.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Learn about feature access for YouTube Creators |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9890437?hl=en |url-status=live |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=YouTube Help}}</ref>


==Consumer response==
==Consumer response==
Users are left frustrated by this requirement. As such, Users have signed a [https://www.change.org/p/youtube-s-ai-tracks-everything-you-watch-stop-this-now petition] and have [https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/50k-youtubers-rage-against-ai-spying-that-could-expose-identities contacted Youtube] to revoke this new requirement. However, their concerns have been ignored by Youtube as they doubled down on keeping the requirement.  
Some users have signed a [https://www.change.org/p/youtube-s-ai-tracks-everything-you-watch-stop-this-now Change.org petition] (with 114.080 verified signatures as of 16 Aug 2025) and have contacted YouTube to revoke this new requirement.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Belanger |first=Ashley |date=12 Aug 2025 |title=YouTube backlash begins: “Why is AI combing through every single video I watch?” |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/50k-youtubers-rage-against-ai-spying-that-could-expose-identities/ |url-status=live |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref> The petition has not received a response from YouTube as of the time of writing.  
 


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
 
[[Category:YouTube]]
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