• YouTube announced Thursday that it was overhauling the qualifications for creators to get verified on the platform.
  • Those verified creators get a checkmark next to their names on YouTube – something of a status symbol for top creators.
  • However, YouTube is also removing checkmarks from channels who no longer meet the new, stricter criteria.
  • Currently, any channel with more than 100,000 subscribers is eligible for verification, but it seems YouTube will be stricter in deciding who actually gets a coveted checkmark moving forward.
  • YouTubers with hundreds of thousands, and even millions, of subscribers have posted to social media to share that YouTube had emailed them, hours after the announcement, to tell them it was removing their verification badges in the coming months.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Popular YouTube creators are lashing out against the company after many of them were told Thursday they would be losing the verification checkmarks on their channels.

YouTube announced Thursday that it would be updating the eligibility requirements for its verification program – essentially, which channels YouTube decides will get gray checkmarks next to their names. Those checkmarks have become something of a status symbol among top YouTube creators.

YouTube’s reasoning for tightening its verification criteria is to “reduce confusion about what being verified means.” Currently, any channel with more than 100,000 subscribers is eligible for verification, but it seems YouTube will be stricter in deciding who actually gets a coveted checkmark moving forward.

Under its new policies rolling out in late October, YouTube will prioritize “prominent channels that have a clear need for proof of authenticity” above all else, specifically those belonging to “highly searched” figures and those that have a “strong presence online” outside of YouTube.

However, it didn't take long for verified YouTubers to take to social media and share emails they recieved from the company saying that under the new criteria, they were no longer eligible to have a checkmark on their channels. Some of these YouTubers who said they recieved these emails have hundreds of thousands - and even millions - of subscribers.

"Your channel no longer meets the criteria to be verified," screenshots of the emails sent to unverified YouTubers show. "We realize this might be disappointing, but we believe these updates will make channel verification more consistent for users and creators across YouTube."

It's unclear exactly when these checkmarks will be removed from YouTube channels, since many of these YouTubers who were notified about their de-verification still have checkmarks visible on their profiles. YouTube did say its new verification criteria is taking effect "starting in late October," but YouTubers like Jake Paul have already had checkmarks disappear from their channels.

In response to a request for comment, YouTube directed Business Insider to its blog post, which has been updated with some clarifications. YouTube wrote that "no one lost a verification badge today," and those that recieved an email about getting unverified could still appeal the decision before it takes effect.

Take a look at some of the popular creators who have been told they will be un-verified under YouTube's new criteria:

Pro Fornite gamer Kiwiz has 2.3 million YouTube followers. He was confused how he could be un-verified, considering he has such a large following and a close partnership with YouTube itself.

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Source: Kiwiz on Twitter

YouTube personality Jake Paul has not posted online about the new verification criteria, but a glimpse at his channel shows there's no longer a checkmark next to his name.

Foto: sourceJake Paul/YouTube

Another YouTuber with a huge following — Infinite, with 12.5 million subscribers — was also told in an email he would be getting unverified.

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Ducky the Gamer, a creator with almost a half-million subscribers, questioned how YouTube could abruptly take away his checkmark after eight years on the platform.

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YouTuber Kavos, who runs a commentary channel, has more than 1.1 million subscribers, and was told he would be unverified on Thursday. He questioned why YouTube was "making the most pointless f---ing changes to their platform."

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"This breaks my heart. I hope it’s not real," YouTube gamer Nateson, who has 150,000 subscribers, wrote on Twitter. "We work so hard to try and stand out on the platform and this just sucks."

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A tweet about getting un-verified from YouTube personality JaackMaate, who has 1.1 million subscribers, went viral Thursday afternoon.

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https://twitter.com/Jaack/status/1174735765533839360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

British gamer ChaBoyy, who has nearly 1.8 million YouTube subscribers, called the new verification system a "joke."

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Canadian vlogger Jessii Vee, who has 1.4 million subscribers, said that while the checkmark may seem "insignificant" to some, it signifies "hard work and dedication" to many who have been on YouTube for years.

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"Basically YouTube telling us, even though we are popular on their platform we aren’t lucrative enough to deserve their attention," YouTuber MacDoesIt, who has 1.9 million subscribers, wrote on Twitter.

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