YouTube to remove the option to hide subscriber counts

YouTube has announced several new upgrades aimed at reducing spam and abuse, including the removal of the option to conceal channel subscriber statistics and the addition of a new heightened strictness level inside its auto-moderation tools.

To begin, YouTube channels can now choose not to display their subscriber count, which some users may prefer if they believe it would turn away viewers or damage trustworthiness.

However, YouTube has discovered that this feature is frequently employed by channels mimicking platform stars.

Youtube commented: “While we’re aware that some creators find this feature valuable, as YouTube grows, we found it is often used to impersonate channels. Bad actors often lure people to their channel page by impersonating other creators in comments. And now, channels will no longer be able to hide their subscriber pens on YouTube.”

So it’s not strictly a problem with the channels itself, but if a user impersonates a popular YouTuber in the comments and hides their subscriber count, it might be difficult for normal users to tell if this is the genuine person posting a remark or not.

Users will be able to know right away that it isn’t PewDiePie writing a remark, as he has more than nine subscribers, thus fraudsters will have less alternatives to conceal their identity.

It’s a fantastic upgrade, and while some users may prefer not to see their subscriber count, it appears to be a minor sacrifice for better openness and security in the app.

However, if you’ve been telling people that you have more followers than you actually have, it may be time to deactivate your YouTube account. Just say you were banned because of your controversial ideas or whatever.

According to YouTube, the update will be available by the end of July.

On the other hand, YouTube is providing channel administrators additional power to filter out spam comments by adjusting the ‘strictness’ of their channel’s auto-moderation tool.