So...about that COPPA thing

AceRagz 2019-11-21 13:51:48 UTC #30

Even if this is a government thing this isn't time to start spreading fear and panic. This kind of thing happened in the late 90's early 2000's with Napster and Limewire. At first the big labels went after the people downloading off P2P platforms but when they started suing children and grandparents that didn't even understand what those platforms truly were judges began to refuse to follow through and dismissed cases. The public outcry was also so loud it forced the lawsuits to be laid on the platforms instead.

It is important right now to do what you must to protect yourself on youtube because the FTC was happy enough going after the platform however....the FTC now coming after the content creators as well is Google's fault! This is part of the settlement between YT/Google and the FTC that they can go after the content creators.

If anyone is truly worried then now is the time to go on the FTC website and voice your opinion civilly on the new COPPA revisions. In honesty I think like others that the revisions are too aggressive. And also remember that these revisions happen every ten years so keep up on the laws as well. There is also a petition:

COPPA Comments submissions are extended until Dec 9 so keep that in mind:

https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=FTC-2019-0054-0001

Change.org petition:

J House Law this is a youtuber with family content that also has a law degree and background. When this began he went to Youtube and the FTC to get a better understanding of what is going on and is now lobbying for the rights of content creators.

DokiDokiTsuna 2019-11-21 15:10:53 UTC #31

This kinda makes me feel better, but at the same time...as you described in that situation, someone has to be the sacrificial lamb. And a lot of competent people are going to get targeted by this unjust law before we get to the people who 'didn't know any better'. A lot of things are going to get shut down and destroyed while we wait; things that can't just be gotten back as soon as it's 'safe to come out'. And the longer it takes, the more irreversible the damage will be.

All that is to say, if a little pre-emptive fear and panic and overreaction could contribute even a little to making this not happen in the first place, I'm all for it.

AceRagz 2019-11-21 15:23:43 UTC #32

Panicking and over reacting never helps in the long run. In fact this whole thing began with the FTC over reacting to the internet as a whole. They don't understand it and how things work and how fast things change on this landscape. Thing is just be calm and direct your concerns to the FTC because they are reading all comments.

When the revisions that helped create this situation happened in 2013 they received only 99 comments in total so they were like okay...no one is passionately opposed to these regulations so we must be doing the right thing! They have so far received over 104,000 comments on the revisions. If you want to help stop these regulations from coming into full effect because right now they are pending while the FTC reviews comments and makes a final decision then comment against them.

DokiDokiTsuna 2019-11-21 15:35:49 UTC #33

I mean...that's basically what I meant by overreacting. I didn't mean to start rioting in the streets and throwing bricks at the Google office or anything...

Why did they receive only 99 comments initially? Probably because people figured (when the internet was much smaller, by the way) that it didn't matter and didn't care. Passion, even to the extent of fear at times, is what incites change.

Maybe we should all remain calm and go through channels. Maybe this isn't something that everyone and their mom should be making hysterical 'Youtube is about to die' videos about...but I doubt the number of comments would have passed the 6-digit threshold without that level of concern.

AceRagz 2019-11-21 15:45:46 UTC #34

Well it is a concerning situation and making videos and talking about the situation and making people aware that there are avenues to stop these regulations is healthy. It will help if people talk about it and the solution but I don't think this is going to be the death of Youtube. They will always find a way to weasel out of the situation. I don't think this will be the end of the internet as a whole either. I think and want to believe that there is enough people out there that will voice their opinions at the FTC and stop these overreaching regulations. As far as other platforms it is not time to start panicking. Like I mentioned earlier the FTC going after creators is part of Google's settlement with the FTC.

TAMAnnoying 2019-11-21 16:29:51 UTC #35

I think it’s gonna be less the “the death of YouTube” and more the death of certain creators. mostly as usual small channels. Video game channels will prob suffer but I think the people who are gonna suffer the most are animators whom have already been suffocating from the YouTube algorithm for years.

Just a shout out from an animator I like.

The major problem is you want to make money if you go to YouTube- you can’t make money with ads unless your content is ad friendly, however if your TOO friendly you are considered child content and get a fine. Lots of adults seem to have this strange understanding that if it’s animated it’s for kids, so I’m pretty sure the biggest thing that will come of this is that the already dying animation community on YouTube might have to crawl back to the one place that they seem to be welcomed on the internet, newgrounds.

Darth_Biomech 2019-11-22 01:27:55 UTC #36

What I'm scared about is that people don't understand that this is not a youtube issue, and treat it as "well, it's youtubers problem". You are going to be fined just as easily on the Newgrounds! It doesn't matter on what site do you reside! It's not the company that owns the site that will be inspecting you, it will be a government agency! You might not get your income annihilated by the draconian rules that all but shadowban your content, but there still might be a 42k fine with your name written on it!

AceRagz 2019-11-22 01:36:21 UTC #37

It is a youtube problem...right now. The reason this is happening is because Google has been ignoring COPPA rules for years and it has only recently caught up with them. The fact that creators are being held responsible now is not something the FTC had originally intended but it was made a part of the settlement with Google. Again if you are concerned then join up with everyone else and comment to the FTC and petition the new revisions before Dec 9th when the comment portion of the inquire ends and a final decision is made.

Darth_Biomech 2019-11-22 01:51:49 UTC #38

I'm not an US citizen, sadly. So as with all damaging global initiatives, like SOPA, article 13, etc, I can do nothing but sit and helplessly watch how the things will turn out. On the plus side I don't think that FTC can fine me? I mean, what can they do if I just ignore them?

AceRagz 2019-11-22 01:55:15 UTC #39

Unfortunately...it still effects you if you post on Youtube. YT is American based so the FTC can come after you since you have published videos with an American company.

aqua03 2019-11-22 03:02:34 UTC #40

Bless Jim "The Kids Don't Even Like me!" Sterling Son.... I was actually just thinking about that video recently as well, funnily enough.

Darth_Biomech 2019-11-22 07:54:31 UTC #41

Yes, but what can they do? It seems that at worst I'll lose my account if push comes to shove. Bad, but better than being forced to pay an amount of money on which I could live without a job for five years.

AceRagz 2019-11-22 08:10:05 UTC #42

I'm not giving you any legal advice here but I am going to say make sure you cover your own ass because things can get much worse than just losing an account. Because you have videos on Youtube it doesn't even matter if they are monetized or not they will be looked into if the FTC decides to go this route. And if they decide any of it is child directed or appeals to children you will be fined since you are posting content with the an American based platform you are subject to American laws. It is a lot like say someone in Korea writes a medical advice book that is full of exaggerated and false claims and tries to publish it through an American publisher they will be held accountable to follow American laws since they are doing business with an American company. I can only tell you go through your videos now and label everything that you can to avoid trouble later.

Zugaikotsu 2019-11-22 09:22:15 UTC #43

IM not in panic... and I already signed the petition. But I still remember how FCC ignored everyone about net neutrality xD

Darth_Biomech 2019-11-22 10:03:02 UTC #44

If this means I'll be extracted into the US to be on a trial... maybe I shouldn't. =D

Iris-Grimoire 2019-11-22 13:51:26 UTC #45

Here's a new video on the subject for anyone that might still be confused or reading several conflicting tweets as the situation developed. Dan loves/hates to look into content creation plataforms and how they operate(especially during the many Patreon changes) so hopefully he's mostly accurate or corrects what changes in the coming weeks on his twitter.

LOVE that some of the settlement stuff actually went "youtube shouldn't put a bot to do this, it'd hit legitimately child unfriendly channels, we're good as long as you do something substantial" then youtube went and put a bot anyway

AceRagz 2019-11-22 15:46:24 UTC #46

That was a totally different situation. The FCC actively wanted to stop dealing with consumer complaints about ISPs and wanted to pass the responsibility over to the FTC. Ajit Pai hated Net neutrality with a passion.

Greetings 2019-11-25 14:21:25 UTC #47

I just learned about this, are there chances Tapas and other sites/apps will be affected, or is it just Youtube for now?

AceRagz 2019-11-25 14:43:45 UTC #48

It's just Youtube for now. They screwed up and during the settlement phase they pretty much told the FTC hey we will take this first hit but we will not be sued again because it's the content creators' fault for attracting children to the site. They have agreed to give out personal account info if the FTC decides to sue someone during their sweeps.

Iris-Grimoire 2019-11-25 16:50:16 UTC #49

What AceRagz said; Tapas doesn't advertise content for kids and treats them like adults - toy photography is for aesthetic purposes only, no actual children's books. When you make an account here, you need to be above 13, and it's in the ToS that the site is not made for people under that in any shape or form. They can more than argue the children on this site are lying about their age to begin with and it's out of their hands(and will probably ban the offending account if they find out),while Youtube tried to have both and got burned.