Video sharing website Youtube has a made a u-turn on its decision to strip many popular video-streamers of “verified” status badge.
Youtube had made the decision to ensure that ID checks are more rigorous and to also get rid of impersonators.
However, the proposed change was not well received by established YouTubers who see the change as stripping established YouTubers of their standing and hobbling their chances to prosper on the video site.
YouTube boss Susan Wojcicki apologized and said the policy change had “missed the mark”.
When it was first introduced the “verified” badge was designed to be a guarantee of identity to help people searching for a specific person, organization or channel. The badge was given to YouTube channels with more than 100,000 subscribers.
But the company said it had become an endorsement of content rather than just an ID check and was in need of reform.
As part of the change, only “prominent channels that have a clear need for proof of authenticity” would be verified, while many others would lose the mark.
The threatened removal prompted widespread protests by established YouTubers, many of whom said the verification mark helped them establish their authority and longevity on the site.
But on 20 September, YouTube announced it was largely reversing the changes it had proposed.
“We heard loud and clear how much the badge means to you,” it said in a blog.
All those channels that currently have the verification badge will keep them, but in future badges will not automatically be bestowed on channels that cross the 100,000-subscriber mark.
Only those that need a guarantee of their identity, because they represent a brand or entity that is in danger of widespread impersonation, will be eligible.
