YouTube has consistently remained the leader in video-sharing services globally.
This is due to YouTube’s authenticity of user-generated content the platform offers, it sees 2.3 billion global users in a month.
Since its launch in 2014, YouTube has updated its terms of service many times as YouTube’s number of users grows, and as both local and international content use laws change with time.
In November 2021, the company published its new terms of service that would take effect on January 5, 2022.
The new YouTube guidelines are not set to affect usage but to provide higher transparency on the way the company develops, improves, and updates its services.
If you are not yet familiar with the new terms of service, read on to enlighten yourself about YouTube’s TOS & YouTube Community Guidelines.
YouTube Community Guidelines 2021 to 2022: What has Changed
YouTube has not changed its terms of service as an overhaul in 2022 but it has updated some of the existing YouTube community Guidelines and added a few more new terms.
- If you are not part of YouTube’s partnership program, the company will from now on be able to add advertisements in your videos and not give you a share of the earnings.
- As per the new YouTube monetization requirements 2021, the company holds the right to monetize most of the content you publish on the platform.
- YouTube’s new Video Hosting rules prohibit users from using facial recognition tools to collect personal information.
- New YouTube Guidelines give details on the protocols the company will henceforth use to pay you for your content.
- You can now create videos that are less than one-minute-long and post them on YouTube shorts.
- You as content creators have full responsibility to discipline yourself on the type of content you post on the video channel, take the right security precautions, and report immediately to YouTube any individuals you notice are violating the rules by posting irresponsibly.
Keep in mind that these new changes can be updated anytime if the need arises.
YouTube Terms of Service 2022
YouTube users are free to open account accounts, discover content, watch videos, share, invite people to connect, create inspiring content and distribute it across the globe.
The video products available from the company are offered to help users experience better services. These video features form part of the service provided by the platform to be used collectively by every user.
Despite all these, YouTube expects every user to be responsible by adhering to the terms of service provided by the YouTube service.
YouTube Terms of Service were updated on January 5, 2022, as follows –
Who is eligible to use YouTube service?
The YouTube Privacy Policy authorizes any individual with a minimum of 13 years of age to use its service.
If a user is below 13 years old, they are allowed to use the service under the authority of a parent or legal guardian.
Under the YouTube guidelines, any parent or legal guardian who allows a child below 13 years of age to use the YouTube service takes full responsibility for any activity performed by the child during the use of the service.
The parent or legal guardian should familiarize themselves with the guidelines under managing family experience on YouTube and use the right tools to control what a child should access or post.
How you use the video service – YouTube
This section gives details on how you can create your YouTube account, the way you post content, and how YouTube uses your personal information.
It also gives details of the permissions granted to you by YouTube, the restrictions YouTube service has against you, its reservations, and how you can improve the use of the service.
These details cover every type of content that you post or access on YouTube.
It doesn’t omit any type of video, audio, image, software, or graphics accessed or posted on the video platform.
It covers terms of using the service for branding, promoting trademarks, or how they are distributed on YouTube under their terms of service and guidelines.
YouTube monetization
The YouTube monetization requirements for 2021 have changed.
If you create content but have no plans to use it as an earning tool in 2022 and beyond, it will be like you are giving YouTube express authority to earn from it through video monetization.
That means that YouTube has all legal rights to put ads into your content and use its algorithms to show your content to users based on several factors such as age, interests, or location.
Whatever money YouTube earns from the ads, it will not share it with you because you have no plans to monetize your content.
Use of facial recognition tools
Some YouTube users might be tempted to collect other users’ photos, names or request them to provide them with their emailing contacts.
YouTube has put in place very strict policies for this.
You must first obtain permission before you use any personal data to publish content. The user might be offended or the data might harm them.
Use of face recognition tools is expressly prohibited unless with permission from the user.
Taking polls on YouTube
The purpose of this YouTube policy is to encourage content creators to create quality content.
The company will consistently conduct both qualitative and quantitative polls. It will involve both users and YouTube content creators.
Most polls will be short, where users/creators will be asked to choose the best answer.
The polls will be asking if a user enjoyed the content or how the platform is on that particular day.
YouTube content creators will also have a chance to report any content that they feel is inappropriate for their audience.
Receiving royalties and withholding tax
This YouTube guideline gives you full rights to any content that you post on the platform. However, you are required to relax the rights for use by other users and the platform.
On the other hand, all YouTube video content uploaded on the platform gives YouTube non-exclusive right to use the content in ways such as distribution, reproduction, modification, and display of the content globally.
Content rights holders of content qualify to receive payments from YouTube. However, the payments are considered royalties according to the US tax guidelines.
The company has a right to withhold taxes where the law is applicable.
Creating content and conduct – YouTube Shorts
As a way to compete with other social media platforms that allow creators to post less than minute-long videos, YouTube will have Shorts.
This is a feature that will allow users to post YouTube short videos that are up to one minute long.
The video platform has already provided tools to enable users to create short videos and add features such as audio, color, images, etc.
However, YouTube community guidelines require users to observe the rules for creating content and sharing it.
If you fail to follow the rules, your content can be removed permanently from YouTube.
You must not try to open another account to repost your removed content. This violation might lead to account suspension or closure.
Suspending your account or terminating it
On your part, you are free to terminate the use of the YouTube video platform anytime you want.
You are free to delete your YouTube account, close it, or remove all your content anytime you choose.
On the other hand, YouTube also has a right to terminate your account if it feels you have grossly violated the guidelines.
The platform may also suspend your account for a season awaiting investigations. If it takes such a step, you will receive a notice for suspension.
If the investigations prove you have grossly violated the YouTube guidelines, you will receive a termination notice and your account will be terminated.
General rules on the use of service
YouTube gives the authority to access or use its service in several ways.
That you shall not distribute any content without asking for permission from YouTube in writing.
That you shall not make any changes to its terms of service.
That you shall not use any other technology to access content other than what YouTube has availed or authorized.
That you shall not use the service for commercial gain without obtaining permission from the company.
Spams and deceit
YouTube prohibits you from using deceptive practices or spam.
You must disengage yourself from engaging in fake information, impersonation, use of spam, scams, or violating children’s rights.
You must not post nude or sexually explicit content, use vulgar language, or post content that promotes suicide or self-harm.
YouTube Monetization Policy 2022
The YouTube monetization policy 2022 applies to anyone publishing content on YouTube regardless of whether they are in the YouTube Partner Program or not.
The policies are enshrined in the YouTube community guidelines, Google AdSense policies, Terms of service, copyright laws, and YouTube Shorts Fund.
According to the requirements, your videos must be between 8-10 minutes long on the minimum.
You must ensure your videos are high quality.
Once watch hours are completed, the contributing videos shall be removed.
Make your videos rank high by using keywords texts.
Grow your website organically with Video Hosting & build your own VideoTube
It’s easy to grow your website or be popular through your videos by publishing quality content on YouTube.
Make sure you create high-quality videos, provide catchy thumbnails, detailed video descriptions and add keywords to your video content. Describe your YouTube profile in detail, then link it to your website.
Increase your pool of subscribers and share your videos on other social media channels.
This all sounds great but there are reasons for which people, especially enterprises, build their own Enterprise VideoTube.
VideoTube is like a YouTube you own and you manage it the way you want. To build your video hosting channel, you need to have a broader vision and look beyond YouTube.
Cincopa offers a unique VideoTube solution that allows enterprises to create their own white label video channels.
Your own VideoTube provides them literally a 360-degree control over uploading, storing, organizing, sharing and monitoring the video content.
This in turn enables an increased level of internal communication among employees across all levels, corporate hangout in remote work environments as well as for marketing activities.
VideoTube is something you really cannot afford to miss out on, especially when you are bogged down by some unrealistic YouTube terms and conditions and features that are not in line with your business ideas.
