YouTube has announced strict action against Indian users and content creators who upload videos with “serious clickbait” in the title or thumbnail.
“When a video’s title or thumbnail contains promises or claims, especially when that content focuses on breaking news or current events,” the Alphabet-owned company said in a blog post on Wednesday, December 18.
It added that content with heavy clickbait “may leave viewers feeling cheated, frustrated or confused — especially at moments when they come to YouTube in search of important or timely information.”
YouTube videos that contain topics related to breaking news or current events will come up in the scanner, the platform said.
This means that it is now against YouTube’s policy to title a video with a cheesy title like ‘President Resigns’ or ‘Top Political News’ in the thumbnail with the main aim of enticing users to click on the video.
What action will YouTube take?
To start, YouTube said it will remove content where the title or thumbnail doesn’t deliver the video to viewers. However, the platform said it will not issue a strike against the channel to give users time to adjust to the changes in its policy.
YouTube has yet to clarify what it defines as videos covering breaking news or current events, and how it plans to identify content with high clickbait. Additionally, the platform does not outline what steps users can take to appeal the removal of their content and have it reinstated.
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