Community Guidelines: Misleading or Deceptive Content
Certain types of misleading, deceptive, or manipulated content that pose a serious risk of harm are not allowed on YouTube. This includes misinformation that can cause real-world harm, technically altered content that misleads viewers, and content that interferes with civic or democratic processes.
In some cases, content may be allowed if it has clear educational, documentary, scientific, artistic, or public-interest context.
If you encounter content that violates this policy, please report it. You can also report entire channels if necessary.
What You Should Not Post
1. Census Interference
Do not post content that:
- Misleads people about how, when, or where to participate in a census
- Discourages participation through false or misleading claims
- Misrepresents eligibility or legal consequences related to participation
2. Manipulated Content
Not allowed:
- Technically altered or doctored media that misleads viewers and risks serious harm
- Fabricated events created through editing or AI manipulation
- Edited content that falsely presents false events involving governments, conflicts, or crises
3. Misattributed Content
Do not post content that:
- Presents old footage as if it is recent
- Misrepresents location, timing, or context of real-world events
- Falsely labels historical or unrelated footage as current events
- Uses real footage to falsely claim human rights abuses or military actions in another place or time
Examples of Violating Content
- False instructions discouraging census participation (e.g., misinformation about legal consequences)
- Subtitled or translated content that falsely inflames geopolitical tensions
- Edited videos making it appear a public official has died when they have not
- Fabricated crisis footage presented as real
- Old protest or conflict footage falsely labeled as a current event
Exceptions
Some content may be allowed if it clearly includes:
- Educational
- Documentary
- Scientific
- Artistic
- Public-interest context
This includes:
- Satire or critique of misinformation
- News reporting with clear context
- Academic or policy discussion
- Personal opinions that do not violate other policies
However, these exceptions do not allow the spread of harmful misinformation.
If content violates this policy, YouTube may:
- Remove the content
- Issue a warning or strike
- Restrict or remove monetization
- Terminate the channel in severe or repeated cases
If this is your first violation, you may receive a warning and optional policy training. Repeated violations can result in strikes, and accumulating three strikes within 90 days may lead to channel termination.
