YouTube

YouTube revises strike system w/ initial warning, consistent strikes, better explanations

Ben Schoon | Feb 19 2019 - 6:56 am PT

YouTube is the biggest place on the web to share videos you’ve created, and millions of people do so every single day. To prevent abuse, though, YouTube has a strikes system in place that takes down content that violates the Community Guidelines. In some cases, though, that system has been taken advantage of or misunderstood, and today YouTube is revising its strikes system in a huge way to benefit creators.

Explained in a post on YouTube’s blog this morning, the strike system is getting a huge redo. This is in an effort to be more clear, consistent, and more importantly transparent with those affected by the YouTube strike system. The first big change here is that YouTube will no longer immediately issue a strike to first-time offenders.

All channels on YouTube will get a one-time warning the first time they post content that “crosses the line.” The only penalty, in this case, would be that the content would be removed from YouTube. The platform says that this gives offenders a chance to look over YouTube’s policy before they are penalized. YouTube is also making resources available to give more detail about what can trigger a strike.

Further, YouTube is making another huge change to the system to make it fair to everyone. Previously, different types of strikes resulted in totally different penalties. Now, after a first time warning, the consequences for a strike are as follows:

The first strike will result in a one-week freeze on the ability to upload any new content to YouTube, including live streaming, and other channel activities. Strikes will expire after 90 days.

The second strike in any 90-day period will result in a two-week freeze on the ability to upload any new content to YouTube.

The third strike in any 90-day period will result in channel termination.

Finally, YouTube is also making the strike system more clear on exactly what caused the strike to occur and the paths available for handling it. To do that, YouTube is making strike notifications both on the web and over email more clear, as well as expanding those notifications to mobile apps. YouTube says that these notifications will better detail what caused the strike, what it means for the channel, and giving more obvious steps for how to appeal strikes.