Midweek 286; Still got it

This is for all Plus members, as it contains important information about YouTube and a UK Government consultation; please complete the survey if you dont want government-censored YouTube content. Seriously.

New post up in the 10MW Forums here

If you haven’t already familiarised yourself with the Discourse forums then view the video post there with the link, or head over at your convenience by hitting the New Forums link in the header.

Also available direct on YouTube here

Text of the post is below. Thanks all!

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So, about YouTube, and the UK Government’s proposal to insert themselves into the YouTube algorithm to ensure that only ‘trusted’ (ie approved’) content is shown.

If that sounds far-fetched and a borderline insane level of censorship of an independent business that isn’t based in the UK, I agree; but it’s true.

If you watch any current affairs / news / opinion channels on YouTube then you’ve probably seen this highlighted already, but if you haven’t here’s a link to the notification that all YouTubers have recently received:-

https://rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/keep-youtube-yours

And I’ll quote a couple of paragraphs here:-

The UK Government is running a public consultation called "Watch this space: a new strategic direction for UK media". The proposals include mandatory changes to how content is discovered on YouTube. This could direct audiences away from your channel.

As a UK creator, this directly impacts your future. Digital content discovery works best when driven by user choice, not legal requirements. This is a vital window for you to share your perspective before the consultation closes on 31 August 2026…

As I say in the vid, YouTube is the most level of playing fields with the lowest barrier to entry - anyone with a phone in their pocket and a story to tell can get their content in front of people and grow an audience, but everyone starts equal, with no subscribers and no views.

These proposals massively stack the deck against individuals and all supposedly in the name of ‘trust’ and ‘fighting misinformation’ - things that governments are’t particularly renowned for!

Anyway, you can find the public consultation here - https://dcms.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2fQ7ExcypoLCKZE

Give it a whirl if you feel strongly about this - it’s a rare opportunity to make your feelings known.

Thanks everyone! Enjoy the rest of the week -I’ll be back at the weekend with a bit more workshop update!

Peter