Just two days ago we wrote about YouTube’s new verification standards for YouTube artists and content creators, and the most controversial part of it was that some channels would need to re-apply for verification against the new standards.
Understandably, this caused a bit of upset. Potentially thousands of verified YouTube accounts could have been affected, and you can imagine they made a bit of noise. Well, YouTube backed down.
In response to the social media backlash, YouTube issued the following brief statement:
We heard loud and clear how much the badge means to you. Channels that already have the verification badge will now keep it and don’t have to appeal. We’ll continue reviewing those channels to ensure we’re protecting creators from impersonation.
This means that existing verified YouTube channels won’t have to reapply, but the same criteria will apply for new verifications:
- 100,000 subscribers is the gateway metric – you cannot apply until you reach this threshold.
- All channels must be authentic – i.e. representing actual creators, brands or entities that they claim to be. In other words, no impersonation.
- All channels must be set up properly – channels must be public, active, have a channel icon set up, and have an up-to-date description. This one seems pretty easy to comply with.
Remember, though, that a verification mark on YouTube – just as on most other social media platforms – really doesn’t mean an awful lot. It’s not an endorsement of quality, message or anything more than a (somewhat) confirmation of identity. On some platforms, it doesn’t even mean that.
