January 1st 2020 is going to bring about one of the most biggest changes on the YouTube platform thus far, and although many seem to believe that they’re safe from this new law, it’s important nonetheless to bring this change to the forefront of people’s attention. To make them understand that their way of life so to speak is coming to an unfortunate end.
There’s no way I’ll be able to really articulate the extent to which this new law (click here to learn more about COOPA), which by the way is not being handled by YouTube, but by the actual government of the United States will impact every YouTuber’s livelihood. And I say livelihood because a lot of people have most likely put all their eggs in this basket and now are going to feel the ramifications for their foolishness.
It’s honestly disheartening too for a lot of other people, especially for those that wanted to use the platform to either voices their thoughts, build a brand or just use it as a side hustle. The YOU in YouTube will officially die in 2020 and this time around, it’s no exaggeration. Gone are the days when you can simply upload a video, and talk to the folks you share or disagree with your opinion without fearing a fine or lawsuit.
Now, you gotta check to see if each and every video you upload falls under the new COPPA law, that is, if you’ve correctly marked your videos for or not for kids. Worst of all, incorrectly doing so could open you up for a fine that could go up to $42,000 per video. The average Joe can’t afford to be hit with that kind of fine, and with everyone uploading nearly 100 videos in their lifetime, those numbers are sure to rack up. And what stings most of all is the fact that YouTube told us to be more kid friendly over the past few years, basically setting everyone who adhered to these rules for fail. If you’re not sure of what I mean, if you set you videos for “made for kids”, you will lose all the prominent features that come with YouTube, your videos won’t be promoted and your revenue will be cut by 60-90%.
Now, I’m not a firm believer of petitions working, I mean look at the Net Neutrality thing, that didn’t work at all and was one of the most signed and talked about petitions. However, I STILL can’t stand idle by and watch as the government imposes a law that is detrimental to the freedom of expression of YouTubers, so I’ll share it below.
In the case that the petition fails, I really urge any YouTuber who has a significant following to hire a lawyer and to see what they can do about this, because you know they’ll make an example out of someone soon. And for any upcoming YouTubers, please be careful. Please share the links below with as many people as possible.
Sign this petition: https://change.org/p/youtubers-and-viewers-unite-against-ftc-regulation
You can also leave a message for the FTC directly here as well: https://regulations.gov/comment?D=FTC-2019-0054-0001
