Privacy Guidelines

Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Context

Privacy guidelines apply to all users worldwide, beyond local privacy law

YouTube says its privacy guidelines apply to all users across the world. A video can therefore violate the guidelines even where it breaks no privacy law in the user's own country. YouTube says it aims to balance protecting privacy with public interest and newsworthiness.

Supporting quotations

Our privacy guidelines apply to all users across the world.

even if a video doesn't break any privacy laws in your country, it might still violate our guidelines

We aim to protect your privacy while balancing public interest and newsworthiness.

Qualifications & exceptions

• The balance with public interest and newsworthiness is stated as an aim ('We aim to'), not a guarantee.

Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Company practice

YouTube reserves the final decision on whether a violation occurred

YouTube reserves the right to make the final decision about whether its Privacy Guidelines were violated.

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We reserve the right to make the final decision about whether a violation of our Privacy Guidelines occurred.

Not stated here

• This page does not say whether a decision can be appealed or reconsidered.

Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Restriction or exception

Complaints on behalf of third parties are accepted only in five listed situations

YouTube requires first-party claims: it does not accept privacy claims made on behalf of third parties except when the person whose privacy is violated has no access to a computer or the internet, is a vulnerable individual, or when their parent or legal guardian, or a legal representative, makes the claim, or a close family member makes the claim for a deceased individual.

Supporting quotations

First-party claims are required

We do not accept claims made on behalf of third parties except when:

The individual whose privacy is being violated does not have access to a computer or the internet.

The individual whose privacy is being violated is a vulnerable individual.

The parent or legal guardian of the individual whose privacy is being violated makes the claim.

A legal representative for the individual whose privacy is being violated makes the claim.

A close family member makes the claim for a deceased individual.

Qualifications & exceptions

• Five exceptions are listed; any other third-party claim is outside the rule as written.

Not stated here

• 'Vulnerable individual' and 'close family member' are not defined, and the page does not say what proof a third party must give.

Cross-references

• contrast (model-proposed): Removal requires that the person is uniquely identifiable and the complaint identifies them — The removal-decision text describes the complaint as coming from the individual or their legal representative, while the first-party section lists further accepted third-party filers (no internet access, vulnerable individual, parent or guardian, close family member of a deceased individual). The page does not reconcile the two descriptions.
• narrowed by (model-proposed): Privacy complaints are not accepted for other family members, coworkers or employees, or a company — The list of complaints not accepted (other family members, coworkers or employees, a company) narrows who can file for another person, alongside the five listed exceptions.

Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Restriction or exception

Privacy complaints are not accepted for other family members, coworkers or employees, or a company

YouTube says it will not accept privacy complaints filed for other family members (for example a husband, wife, cousin, brother or sister), for coworkers or employees (who must submit a report themselves), or for a company.

Supporting quotations

We will not accept privacy complaints filed for:

Other family members. For example, a husband, wife, cousin, brother, or sister.

Coworkers or employees. Individuals must submit a report themselves.

A company.

Qualifications & exceptions

• The family-member bar sits beside the exceptions for a parent or legal guardian and for a close family member of a deceased individual.

Not stated here

• The page does not say how the 'other family members' bar applies to a vulnerable individual or to someone without internet access.

Cross-references

• narrows (model-proposed): Complaints on behalf of third parties are accepted only in five listed situations — The list of complaints not accepted (other family members, coworkers or employees, a company) narrows who can file for another person, alongside the five listed exceptions.