On EVM Videos, A YouTube Alert For 2 Content Creators, Monetisation Restricted

on evm videos, a youtube alert for 2 content creators, monetisation restricted

Two content creators received alerts from YouTube about the restrictions on monetising some of their videos discussing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines recently. This comes months after YouTube introduced a “Context” information panel acting as a disclaimer from the Election Commission of India (ECI) for videos related to the EVMs Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

“The strong technical safeguards in electronic voting machines and elaborate administrative safeguards, procedures and security put in place by ECI ensure that the elections are transparent, free and fair,” the disclaimer on EVM-related video reads.

Now, the platform has implemented limitations on monetising some videos on this discussion. As a result, creators will not generate any advertising revenue from this content.

Independent journalist Sohit Mishra, who has over 3 lakh subscribers on his channel on the platform, told The Indian Express that four of his videos discussing EVMs were categorised under “limited monetisation.” However, after requesting a review, monetisation was eventually reinstated for only one of the videos.

When asked for an official statement, a YouTube spokesperson told The Indian Express, “All channels on YouTube must comply with our Community Guidelines. Creators who wish to monetize their videos with ads are held to an even higher bar and must also comply with our Advertiser-Friendly Guidelines. Any claims that are demonstrably false and could significantly undermine participation or trust in an electoral or democratic process are in violation of our policies. These guidelines are enforced consistently, regardless of the creator, their background, political viewpoint, position or affiliation.”

As per YouTube, for a channel to be eligible to earn ad revenue, either it should have at least 1,000 subscribers along with 4,000 valid public watch hours within the past 12 months, or, if a channel has 1,000 subscribers with 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days. Once a creator activates monetisation, the advertiser-friendly guidelines come into effect.