Have you ever got that feeling that someone is watching you? Now imagine that ‘someone’ is an AI, and its watching every single video you click on YouTube.
This isn’t science fiction. Tens of thousands of YouTubers are really angry about YouTube’s new plan. They want to use artificial intelligence, or AI, to guess if you are underage, and people are fighting back.
A petition on Change.org is getting signatures like crazy, almost at its 50,000 goal. People hope that if enough users protest, YouTube will stop this big rollout of AI age checks. The biggest fear is that these checks will make it hard to watch videos they like and stay anonymous on the website.
What is this YouTube AI age check anyway?
So how does this work? According to YouTube’s announcement, their new system will guess how old you are by looking at a lot of different signals.
This includes things like what kind of videos you search for, the types of videos you have already watched, and even how old your account is.
Just think about it, an AI is looking at your watch history to decide if you are an adult.
If the AI decides you are probably under 18, YouTube will put restrictions on your account. It will turn off personalized ads and turn on digital wellbeing tools. This is to stop young users from seeing harmful content and to limit them from watching certain videos over and over.
To get these restrictions removed, you have to prove your real age. And how do you do that? You have to give YouTube a copy of your government ID, your credit card details, or a selfie.
Crazy Yeah!
Why the YouTube backlash begins: Privacy and Data Fears
This whole thing has privacy experts worried, and users are worried too.
When you give your ID or credit card, YouTube says it won’t use that data for advertising. But they don’t say much about how the information will be used or how long they will keep it.
This is a huge concern for people signing the petition. One of the main voices is an anonymous YouTuber who started the petition, known as “Gerfdas Gaming”.
Gerfdas told Ars that this whole appeal process “raises major privacy concerns”. It makes everyone wonder, “where is this sensitive data stored, and how secure is it?”
He also said, “If YouTube suffers a breach, people’s names, IDs, and faces could end up in the wrong hands.”
The first rule we all learn about the internet is to never give your personal information online, because it can be stolen so easily. It’s really concerning that YouTube thinks this is a good idea.
Also Read: Can Your Security Cameras Eavesdrop on Your Conversations? The Truth Revealed!
Is the AI even accurate?
Another big question is, how good is this AI? Experts say that even the best age guessing technology can be wrong by about two years. This means if you are between 16 and 20, you are more likely to be flagged by mistake.
One user, Karina, pointed out that this has happened on other platforms. She talked about a time on Discord when a 30 year old got flagged as being underage.
So the technology is not perfect.
And can your watch history really tell your age? Many adults love watching content from their childhood for nostalgia. Some people with disabilities, like one user named Estelle, said they watch “childish and silly content” like “toy unboxings” or “silly animations” to cope with rough days.
Some users with autism are worried they would be targeted because their special interests might seem “childish” to an AI. As Karina, who is autistic, wrote, “It’s not fun being a grown woman and being treated like a child because of your interests.”
Isn’t this what YouTube Kids is for?
Many people signing the petition keep asking the same question. Why was this system created when YouTube Kids already exists?
They feel this is just a way for YouTube to please parents who can’t police their own kids’ viewing habits.
Gerfdas summed it up perfectly. “Even without requesting ID, why is an AI combing through every single video I watch? As an adult, I should be able to watch what I want within the law—and if the viewer is a child, that responsibility belongs to their parents, not a corporation.”
To a lot of people, this whole thing feels like “mass surveillance and censorship under the banner of ‘protecting kids'”.
Another commenter, Ananda, was fuming, “This new policy is all about data mining to get rid of anonymity on the Internet once and for all. The Internet should not be a sanitized corporate theme park”.
Conclusion
So we have a technology that might not be accurate, that asks for your most private information, and that watches everything you do.
The users protesting this feel like they are losing their digital freedom. They are worried that once a system like this becomes normal, it will never go away, it would only expand.
YouTube has not responded to the petition yet, but the users are determined to keep making noise until they are heard.
Gerfdas said if YouTube rolls this out to everyone, it might be time for him to “seriously” consider leaving the platform, even though it’s a source of income for him.
So, what do you think about this new YouTube plan?
Is this a needed step to protect children online, or is it an invasion of your privacy?
Would you be willing to upload your ID just to prove to a robot that you are old enough to watch a video?
Please do share your thoughts on this.
FAQs
Q 1. Is AI banned on YouTube?
A. No, AI is not banned. YouTube uses it for many things, like video recommendations. The current “YouTube backlash begins” movement is against using AI for age verification, not a ban on AI itself. However, creators must disclose when they use AI to make realistic content.
Q 2. Are there any AI YouTubers?
A. Yes, AI YouTubers are very popular, and they are often called VTubers (Virtual YouTubers). They use a digital avatar instead of a real face. Some channels also use AI for things like voiceovers.
Q 3. How to tell if a YouTuber is AI?
A. For VTubers, the animated avatar is the obvious clue. For other AI content, check for a disclosure in the video description, listen for an unnatural or robotic voice, or watch for strange visual details and movements in the video.
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