As you may be aware, the Federal Trade Commission is cracking the whip on Youtube and Youtubers after a $170 million fine was imposed on parent company Google. The thing is, the FTC isn’t merely going after big, juicy targets, but also smaller YouTubers.
Video Game Story Time summarizes this pretty well:
Because Google’s own guidance is vague and they cannot give legal advice, I’ve decided to make all of my videos private. I barely use the channel anyway, so it’s no big deal for me, but I don’t want to risk a big fine for something I don’t even bother maintaining most of the time.
I personally believe that this is an antitrust action, since Google is so large and dominant. Thus, I don’t mind this in principle, though I do feel for those who make their livings off of Youtube. It goes to show that perhaps the best option is to build your own platforms.
As for Defeat the Witch!, the short film I had up on Youtube, you can now find it here on VidLii. Enjoy!
Google still collects users’ information on unmonetized videos, right? Does this mean that, even if I had to restrict my videos because they contained NPCs getting shot in the face, I would still have to mark my videos “for kids” in order to not be fined?
More importantly, COPPA applies to operators of websites for general audiences. If a precocious child were to send you a fan email that contained his age, and his email address contained his first and last name, could the FTC fine you after you possess “actual knowledge” that you have collected a child’s personal data?
Don’t know the answer to either question, unfortunately.
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