Terms of Services for a website are a fluid thing. As sites grow and mature, the content of their Terms and Services changes, as does the frequency that they enforce it. Unfortunately, it seems that today's news concerns previously monetized content being denied ads on YouTube.
Multiple subscribers and content creators have noticed that the popular video sharing website will now be enforcing its Terms of Services (archived here) more frequently. While the language of its Terms and Services remains untouched from its status in at least 2015, YouTube has not stringently enforced its Terms of Services, which prohibit monetization of content that isn't considered by the company to be "advertiser-friendly."
In short, YouTube considers the following to not be "advertiser-friendly" content: sexually-suggestive content, violence, inappropriate language, promotion of drugs and other regulated substances, and controversial or sensitive subjects and events. If your video falls under any of those content categories, they may not monetize it. In addition, if they choose to approve it for monetization, then it may not be eligible for all available ad formats.
Most importantly, these guidelines regulate how content creators can disclose sponsorship of their videos. In the Terms of Service, content creators are explicitly told "[not to] embed promotions for your own sponsors in your video since this can create advertiser conflict." As disclosure of video sponsorship is something that is taken extremely seriously, this is an incredibly major change to how many content creators currently operate.
https://twitter.com/SunGamingYT/status/771113334154203136
Many YouTubers, such as Philip DeFranco, have taken to Twitter to share their displeasure with the enforcement of YouTube's Terms of Services. Below, DeFranco voices his concerns that many of his videos will not be eligible for monetization, and that his career as a content creator on this platform is over.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbph5or0NuM
What are your thoughts on the changes to what content YouTube considers to be "advertiser-friendly"? Let us know in the comment section below.
