YouTube has announced upcoming changes to its guidelines, requiring individuals who operate fan accounts on the platform to clearly disclose that their channels are not affiliated with the original artist, creator, or brand. Starting from August 21st, fan account owners will be required to update their channel information if it is not already evident from the channel name or handle that they are running a fan account. Merely adding “fan account” to the channel description will no longer be sufficient to comply with the new rule.
The directive was introduced as part of broader modifications to YouTube’s impersonation guidelines. The platform will prohibit channels that claim to be fan accounts but instead mimic another channel by uploading the same content. Similarly, channels that bear a striking resemblance to another channel with only minor modifications, such as adding a space to the name, will also be disallowed. Additionally, users will be prohibited from commenting on videos while pretending to be another person or impersonating existing news channels.
