YouTube outpaces all other social media as the place where Americans regularly get their news, except from Facebook. In Denmark, YouTube also plays a role in news consumption. The Danish Minister of Culture has stated that YouTube is covered by Article 17 of the European Copyright Directive. However, YouTube disputes that they are covered by the rules and by the rights of press publishers.
YouTube not only monetises attention but commodifies all forms of engagement through its marketplaces with consequences for the precarity of users and producers on the platform according to independent research, associate professor Jacob Ørmen. AI models are trained on YouTube content without press publishers’ consent.
Alphabet harvests and tracks personal data from users across its platforms, including YouTube, which enables hyper-targeted advertising and raises ethical concerns about manipulation. The company has an overwhelming control over the digital ecosystem. This dominance makes it difficult for competitors to offer alternatives that focus on privacy and respect copyright and gives YouTube an unfair advantage.
YouTube has become an alternative to traditional media. The regulation should reflect this. We look forward to contributing to the coming AVMS directive evaluation.