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| YouTube launches a new tool to combat misleading comments |
YouTube has been plagued by scammers since earlier this year, as a group of prominent content creators showed videos highlighting videos of a large number of people on the channel responding to other commenters with fake giveaways and other scams.
As a result, the platform is taking additional steps to combat comment fraud and channel spoofing, and YouTube has responded to these complaints. He announced three new policies to try to stem this trend.
Channels can no longer hide their subscriber numbers, a method scammers use to disguise themselves. Checking the number of subscribers to a channel is a quick way to verify its identity. Impersonators often leave comments on other videos to direct people to their fake sites.
The platform acknowledges that some content creators prefer to hide their follower count while creating their following. However, she said the move makes things safer for everyone.
And when it comes to fake channels that use special characters to impersonate more famous creators, this tactic can quickly become ineffective.
Platforms determine the type and number of special characters that can be used in channel names. This is another common tactic used by phishing commentators, sometimes with a hidden number of followers.
YouTube has new tools to fight counterfeiters
Basically, scammers try to make channels look legitimate by using special characters to make up friendly names. Reducing the frequency of special characters reduces their chances of doing so.
Additionally, YouTube is expanding access to an improved comment editing setup that was tested earlier this year.
The company now says that all creators can turn on the Increase Resolution setting on the Pending Review tab in YouTube Studio's moderation tool.
This is based on the "Send comments that are potentially inappropriate for review" preference. Reduces the number of fraudulent reviews and impersonation. It's also a less restrictive option than requiring a manual review of all comments or closing them entirely.
YouTube explained that this may reduce the number of fraudulent comments. But with stricter filters, there is always an increased risk of false alarms.
Although the announcement includes a few relatively minor changes. But it helps that YouTube is still working on this problem.