The YouTube team has announced that it will be removing spam subscriptions from channels on its platform over the next couple of days. The move is part of a regular check-up to make sure that channel subscriptions are not inflated by spam tools. The company says it"s using "industry-leading techniques and proprietary technology" to determine which followers are fake.
The removal of fake subscriptions will be taking place today and tomorrow, and it means that many channels will likely see a significant drop in their number of subscribers. If your YouTube channel is affected by this process, you"ll see a banner in the YouTube Studio or Classic Creator Studio.
Two channels that are likely to be affected are PewDiePie and Indian music label T-series. The two have been fighting each other for the highest subscriber count on the platform, and the many calls to action are likely to have spurred a wave of fake subscribers for both sides.
Google says that, since these subscriptions are artificial, your total watch time should not be affected. However, if your subscriber count falls below 1,000 as a result of the process, you will be dropped from the YouTube Partner Program until you grow your fanbase through legitimate means.
YouTube isn"t alone in taking measures such as this one, so the move doesn"t come as a huge surprise. During the course of this year, we"ve seen Twitter remove fake followers from many accounts, and Instagram has also recently increased its efforts in fighting inauthentic activity on its platform.