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Back in June, YouTube quietly made a subtle but significant policy change that, surprisingly, benefits users by allowing them to remove AI-made videos that simulate their appearance or voice from the platform under YouTube's privacy request process.
First spotted by TechCrunch, the revised policy encourages affected parties to directly request the removal of AI-generated content on the grounds of privacy concerns and not for being, for example, misleading or fake. YouTube specifies that claims must be made by the affected individual or authorized representatives. Exceptions include parents or legal guardians acting on behalf of minors, legal representatives, and close family members filing on behalf of deceased individuals.
According to the new policy, if a privacy complaint is filed, YouTube will notify the uploader about the potential violation and provide an opportunity to remove or edit the private information within their video. YouTube may, at its own discretion, grant the uploader 48 hours to utilize the Trim or Blur tools available in YouTube Studio and remove parts of the footage from the video. If the uploader chooses to remove the video altogether, the complaint will be closed, but if the potential privacy violation remains within those 48 hours, the YouTube Team will review the complaint.
To be eligible for removal, the content must portray a realistically altered or synthetic version of your appearance or voice. YouTube will consider various factors when evaluating the complaint, including whether the content is altered or synthetic, if it's clearly disclosed as such to viewers, whether the person can be uniquely identified, the realism of the portrayal, whether the content includes parody or satire, and if it involves a public figure or well-known individual engaged in sensitive behavior.
"We're serious about protecting our users by addressing potential privacy concerns. Our privacy guidelines apply to all users across the world. In other words, while the video in question may not violate your country's privacy laws, it may still violate YouTube's privacy guidelines," comments the team. "YouTube privacy guidelines aim at protecting users' privacy while balancing public interest and newsworthiness. If you believe the content violates other YouTube Community Guidelines, we encourage you to learn how to report inappropriate content."
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