YouTube Expands Privacy Complaint Process, Lets Users Report AI-Generated Content Using Their Face or Voice

YouTube is expanding its user privacy protection mechanism to include artificial intelligence (AI) content. The video-streaming giant announced on Thursday that users will be able to report AI-generated content that simulates their face or voice. Users can report such videos using the Privacy Complaint Process, an online reporting system that allows them to fill out a form to highlight their issue, share evidence of the privacy violation, and share the uploader’s details. Once a complaint is submitted, it is manually reviewed against several parameters, and if the complaint is found to be legitimate, the video is deleted.

YouTube lets users report AI-generated content

In a community post, YouTube revealed that it is expanding the privacy request process for AI generated content that replicates both face and voice. In November 2023, the company announced that it intended to introduce responsible AI innovation to the platform. At the time, it listed several new features it promised to introduce to protect users from misinformation and deepfakes.

Deepfakes can be understood as synthetic media (generated using AI or otherwise) which have been digitally altered to impersonate another individual. In recent times, incidents of deepfakes have increased significantly. YouTube is now letting users take the help of its existing Privacy Complaint Process to report any AI-generated content that simulates their face or voice.

Users can also report a channel if they feel the channel is impersonating them. However, this will not be considered the same as a Community Guidelines strike, even if a creator’s video is removed through this process. Notably, YouTube disables a creator’s channel if they have received three strikes.

How does YouTube’s Privacy Complaint process work

YouTube’s Privacy Complaint Process form can be accessed here. It is a long process where users are first taken through six pages which helps users ascertain whether their privacy is violated and if they have explored all other options before reaching out to the platform. These include asking the user if they have been harassed, they have contacted the uploader, and they have reviewed the Community Guidelines. They are also told that abusing the process may result in their account being suspended.

However, for genuine privacy complaints, users can go through these steps to reach a long form where they are required to share details about the incident, any evidence, and information about the uploader. Once the form is submitted, YouTube evaluates the validity of the incident. After the validity has been established, the video is deleted from the platform.