YouTube has made a change to its policy as it recently announced that videos of content creators regarding the deadly disease, Coronavirus (COVID-19) can now be monetized.
Before now, YouTube’s policies prevented monetization of videos that included sensitive events like the global health crisis, Coronavirus. The platform had also prevented contents that had to do with mass shootings, terrorist acts and armed conflicts.
Reason for the policy change: The YouTube content creator community was said to have aired their grievances regarding the demonetisation of videos featuring discussions of the coronavirus.
Speaking on the reasons behind the policy change, YouTube’s Chief Executive Officer, Susan Wojcicki said the decision to re-open monetization on videos referencing the health crisis was based on its relevance.
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She said that the sensitive events policy was designed to apply to short-term events of a significant magnitude, like a natural disaster.
“It’s becoming clear this issue is now an ongoing and important part of everyday conversation, And we want to make sure news organizations and creators can continue producing quality videos in a sustainable way,” Wojcicki said as reported by Tech Crunch.
Details: To limit the spread of false information over sensitive issues such as the coronavirus disease, Wojcicki said YouTube was introducing authoritative sources in its search results and recommendations. Also, it would be showing information panels on which videos are flagged.
YouTube’s self-certification system would help in curbing misleading information by creators about sensitive issues.
Why this matters: In light of the misinformation problem, YouTube’s decision to open up monetization on videos about the coronavirus will be a controversial choice. In doing so, it signals to the creator community that one of the most-searched topics on the internet can now be leveraged for views and ad dollars. That invites exploitation.
