YouTube is cracking down on clickbait

YouTube is taking Take a tougher stance on clickbaitsaying it will remove content whose title or thumbnail promises viewers “something the video doesn’t offer,” such as Found earlier TechCrunch. YouTube spokesman Jack Malon said in a statement that the change would first be rolled out “slowly” in India, but would be expanded to more countries “in the coming months,” according to a YouTube blog post. edge.

YouTube said the policy would combat “egregious” clickbait that misleads viewers, with a particular focus on videos related to “breaking news” or “current events.” Examples of the company’s egregious clickbait include videos titled “The President Resigns!” This doesn’t actually solve the problem of resignations or “top political news” thumbnails being attached to videos that have no news content.

As the policy rolls out in India, YouTube will remove content that violates the rules but won’t crack down on creators, at least initially. “As we continue to educate creators, our enforcement efforts will prioritize new uploads,” YouTube said.