YouTube Cracks Down On Fake Views? 1 Billion Views Removed From Universal: DETAILS

Has YouTube initiated a crack down on fraudulent views? Many believe so. YouTube allegedly cleaned up accounts with fake view counts which reportedly hit Universal Music Group and Sony BMG the hardest.

After Psy’s song Gangnam Style recently became the first ever video with one billion YouTube views, Youtube looked as if it decided to clean up a number of accounts with many being record labels and celebrity channels.

Many believe that there has been a crack down came after a rise in individuals and companies promising that they can raise YouTube views by boosting them and gaining YouTube users extra subscribers.

Based on YouTube’s policy, it is a violation to purchase subscribers, views or other channel features and can result in suspension of a user’s account if it is detected.

According to Billboard, a YouTube spokesperson stated they have been de-spamming data recently and were removing views that came from pop-up videos and those not initiated by the viewer of the video.

Other missing view counts, which haven’t been accounted for allegedly, are from YouTube removing the counts of dead videos (old videos), which are being ported over to a Vevo Channel.

Vevo is owned by Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media in a joint venture.

Universal Music Group saw a drop in more than a billion views from their account while Sony Music lost over 850 million views. Others who were affected by the change in YouTube views were BritneyTV, Michael Jackson, Hollywood Records, Chris Brown TV, RCA Records, Beyonce, Link Park TV, Shakira, AvrilLavigne, TPain Videos, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Usher TV, Ciara TV, Justin Timberlake TV, Pink Video Vault, Sean Kingston, Black Eyed Peas Video, Jennifer Lopez, R Kelly TV, Red Distribution, ACDC, Pitbull Music, Taylor Swift, Live, Christina Aguilera, Carrie Underwood, amongst others.