YouTube makes dislike counts private to protect creators from harassment

The move by YouTube could also make certain users unhappy as the dislike count helped them see whether or not a video can be watched.

YouTube has announced that it will soon make the dislike count private. Users will be able to like or dislike a video. However, only the creator of that video will be able to see the number of dislikes.

YouTube said that it will be doing so to keep small creators from being targeted by dislike attacks and harassment. The company had conducted a test run earlier this year, following which it learnt a reduction in dislike attacking behaviour. “Based on what we learned, we're making the dislike counts private across YouTube, but the dislike button is not going away. This change will start gradually rolling out today,” YouTube said.

Creators will still be able to find their exact dislike counts in YouTube Studio, along with other YouTube metrics. On the other side, viewers will be able to dislike videos to tune their recommendations.

The move could also make certain users unhappy as the dislike count helped them see whether or not a video can be watched.

“We know that you might not agree with this decision, but we believe that this is the right thing to do for the platform. We want to create an inclusive and respectful environment where creators have the opportunity to succeed and feel safe to express themselves. This is just one of many steps we are taking to continue to protect creators from harassment. Our work is not done, and we’ll continue to invest here,” the company added.