YouTube verification chaos leads CEO to apologise

YouTube’s CEO issued an apology over the verification brouhaha the site experienced this week. Yesterday, YouTube announced it would be revamping its verification policies for creators. As a result, the firm announced that it would change the way it verified users, and it also did issue emails to creators who had been verified, telling them that they would be losing their verification badges. YouTube issued a contradictory statement on Twitter hours later, further adding more confusion. The move caused consternation and outrage from users, and as such, Susan Wojcicki has apologised.

She issued the following statement:

To our creators & users–I’m sorry for the frustration & hurt that we caused with our new approach to verification. While trying to make improvements, we missed the mark. As I write this, we’re working to address your concerns & we’ll have more updates soon

Verification on YouTube — and other social media platforms — is an indication that someone is authentic and significant, However, the nature of the verified symbol being a blue tick or checkmark imparts some validity to the verified users. The firm has made this move in order to shift the perceived motive away, albeit not as cleanly and clearly as it should have.

YouTube’s new policies take effect in October.