[Update 9/20/2019:] YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki informed the YouTube community that — after receiving massive backlash — they will not be removing verification from YouTubers who have already been verified.

UPDATE 1: We heard loud & clear how much the badge means to you. Channels that currently have verification will now keep it without appeal. We’ll continue reviewing those channels to ensure we’re protecting creators from impersonation. More on our changes: https://t.co/B715A8xq2f — Susan Wojcicki (@SusanWojcicki) September 20, 2019

[Original article:] The current setup for YouTube allows anyone with more than 100,000 subscribers to get verified. You simply have to through a simple process of identifying yourself and your channel and getting that little checkmark next your channel ID to prove that you are who you say you are. That’s all going to change in October… for every channel, including channels that were previously already verified.

Over on the Google Support page, there’s an update about how the new verified accounts are going to look while browsing through YouTube.

The first major change is removing checkmarks and replacing them with music notes for artists and gray backgrounds for other verified content creators. Why are they changing this? To avoid people getting the idea that the published content is endorsed by YouTube…

“Through our research, we found that people often associated the checkmark with an endorsement of content, not identity. To reduce confusion about what being verified means, we’re introducing a new look that helps distinguish the official channel of the creator, celebrity or brand it represents. The new look will also be displayed more consistently across channel pages, search and comments and is more difficult to replicate so that viewers can be sure of a channel’s identity. “

Additionally, new channels hoping to get verified will have to go through a much more strict process to receive that gray background. Namely, you’ll have to provide proof of your identity and you will need prominence outside of YouTube. That’s right, you’ll have to have some kind of cloud or celebrityhood beyond the confines of being a content creator on YouTube.

They don’t specify the exact criteria of what constitutes “prominence”, but the new rules dictate…

“ What is the new criteria for channel verification come October? Under our current eligibility requirements, channels with more than 100,000 subscribers can be verified regardless of need for proof of authenticity. Our new criteria prioritizes verifying prominent channels that have a clear need for proof of authenticity. We look at a number of factors to determine if a channel meets this criteria, including: “ Authenticity: does this channel belong to the real creator, artist, public figure or company it claims to represent? “Prominence: does this channel represent a well-known or highly searched creator, artist, public figure or company? Is this channel widely recognized outside of YouTube and have a strong presence online? Is this a popular channel that has a very similar name to many other channels?”

As they state in the thread, these new changes will affect every channel, including channels that were previously already verified.

If you meet the new requirements, your channel will retain its verification. If not? Well… this means that some people could lose their verification…

“ Why are we making this change? The previous requirements worked well when YouTube was smaller, but as YouTube has grown and become more complex, we need a new way to verify the identity of channels and help you find the official channel you’re looking for. “ The new criteria will apply for all channels: Channels that meet the new requirements no longer need to apply, we will automatically apply the new verified treatment. For more info about verification and eligibility, check out our Help Center.

Perhaps that was the conundrum that Laci Green encountered recently when she was suspended from her account for “impersonation”? I can’t say and no one really knows for sure. However, what is clear is that YouTube will be making it much harder for Joe and Jane Schmoes to get verified on their service if they aren’t already a celebrity.

(Thanks for the news tip Shodan)