Scam links in YouTube comments have become a widespread issue in recent years, with numerous victims falling prey to such malicious actors on a daily basis. Now, in an effort to curb the spread of such links, YouTube will begin disabling hyperlinks in Shorts comments, descriptions, and vertical live feeds starting August 31st.
This move comes in response to YouTube Shorts becoming a focal point for malicious actors who employ generative AIs to promote malware disguised as free versions of paid applications, such as Adobe Premiere Pro. Moreover, the company will remove clickable social media icons from channel banners on the desktop.
“We know that links are an important way for creators to share information and recommend products/brands to their communities, so we’re actively working on safer ways for creators to include important links in their content,” said YouTube.
Effect on legitimate creators
While these changes might raise concerns among legitimate Shorts creators who often rely on links to engage their audience and monetize their content through endorsements, YouTube is introducing an update that will allow creators to have a designated space on their channel profiles, which will encompass links to websites, social profiles, merchandise outlets, and other platforms. However, it is important to note that creators can only access this feature in compliance with the YouTube community guidelines.
Furthermore, Short creators can continue to include links to their long-form videos. However, the company has announced that they are working on a new and enhanced solution, set to debut by September.
YouTube’s efforts to combat scams
While it may appear that YouTube’s actions are insufficient, given the scale of the scam link issue, the platform’s recent policy and system updates have resulted in a significant increase in the removal of channels impersonating other users, which saw a 35% rise in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period the previous year.
Additionally, YouTube also highlighted that their new “increase strictness” feature, designed to identify and allow creators to review potentially spammy or inappropriate comments, experienced a significant uptick of 200% in the first week of June following recent updates.