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YouTube's consumer Terms of Service cover the content license users grant to YouTube and other users, account termination and suspension, the software license for YouTube's own apps (like YouTube Studio), and a list of prohibited uses — most notably an anti-scraping clause. The document has no explicit AI clause: every flagged keyword here falls under "non-explicit predatory" (broad license grants and automated-access restrictions), not direct AI-training disclosures.

What this wiki found — complete, every page

Presence facts, not verdicts — each flagged term links to its definition and the exact clause on this page. Absence of a badge means the term isn't currently flagged here, not that the page is risk-free.

Independent reviews, where they had something to say

YouTube – Terms of Service

Dataset: PGAv2 (Platform Governance Archive v2) — 25 platforms, 2022–2026

PGAv2 (Platform Governance Archive v2) is this wiki’s legacy dataset: pre-tagged JSONL records covering 25 major social-media, messaging, and content-sharing platforms, with risk scores and keywords assigned via systematic extraction of 1,736 high-risk clauses from each platform’s Terms of Service, Privacy Policies, and Community Guidelines, spanning 2022–2026.

Note: This page contains documented policy clauses. Risk assessment is qualitative and context-dependent. For analysis of patterns across platforms, see:

• AI Act Substance Matrix
• Tier Bifurcation
• Scraper Enforcement Gap
• Methodology

Source: sources/jsonl/YouTube_Terms_of_Service.jsonl Last updated: 2025-10-03

Overview

YouTube’s consumer Terms of Service cover the content license users grant to YouTube and other users, account termination and suspension, the software license for YouTube’s own apps (like YouTube Studio), and a list of prohibited uses — most notably an anti-scraping clause. The document has no explicit AI clause: every flagged keyword here falls under “non-explicit predatory” (broad license grants and automated-access restrictions), not direct AI-training disclosures.

This is the most stable page in the wiki so far: across 12 scrapes spanning 2022-07-11 to 2025-10-03 — over three years — there has been zero wording change. Every one of the 4 unique snippets in this 65-record file is byte-for-byte identical on every date it appears.

Flagged Keywords & Risks

• royalty-free — Tags the “Rights you Grant” section: uploading content grants YouTube (and its affiliates, including Google LLC) a “worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence” to host, reproduce, distribute, modify, display, and perform that content “for the sole purpose of operating, and improving the Service,” plus a separate royalty-free licence letting other users access and use the content through the Service’s features. A “Right to Monetize” sentence is also tagged here. Why it matters: this license is real but narrower than X’s — it’s scoped to “operating and improving the Service,” not “any purpose,” with no AI-training language, and it ends when content is removed (except for offline caches and legally required retention).
• assignable — Tags a separate sentence in the same paragraph block: “YouTube gives you a personal, worldwide, royalty-free, non-assignable and non-exclusive licence to use the software provided to you by YouTube as part of the Service” (e.g., YouTube Studio). Why it matters: this runs the other way — YouTube licensing its own software to the user, not a right YouTube takes over user content. It’s standard, low-risk software-license boilerplate that just blocks resale or transfer of that license.
• automated means — Bans accessing the Service “using any automated means (such as robots, botnets or scrapers) except: (a) in the case of public search engines, in accordance with YouTube’s robots.txt file; (b) with YouTube’s prior written permission; or (c) as permitted by applicable law.” Why it matters: this is YouTube’s core anti-scraping clause. It carves out a narrow exception for search-engine crawlers that respect robots.txt, but otherwise gives YouTube sole discretion (“prior written permission”) to allow or deny automated access — including by bots collecting data to train AI models.

Legal Context & Research Significance

YouTube’s anti-automation clause is the rare case where a platform’s terms explicitly reference robots.txt compliance as one of three named exceptions, yet Atkinson (2025) observes that robots.txt “cannot enforce itself” and that following it is “only voluntary” — meaning the clause’s own text, not the robots.txt file, is what supplies the actual notice an AI-training scraper would need for the prohibition to be contractually enforceable. This automated means clause and the royalty-free license-grant clause both sit in wearetosed’s “unilateral control” category, since YouTube alone decides whether to grant “prior written permission” for non-search-engine automated access, while the Content license itself — narrower than X’s in that it is scoped “for the sole purpose of operating, and improving the Service” with no explicit AI-training language — has remained byte-for-byte unchanged across all 12 scrapes from 2022-07-11 to 2025-10-03. Atkinson’s nonprofit-exemption proposal (exempting scientific-research-focused scrapers from strict enforcement) is notable background here, since it would bear directly on how this exact clause might be applied to academic archival projects rather than commercial AI labs.

Changes Summary

Version History

2022-07-11

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

Clause: royalty-free

We may use automated systems that analyze your Content to help detect infringement and abuse, such as spam, malware, and illegal content. Rights you Grant -------------------- You retain all of your ownership rights in your Content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours. However, we do require you to grant certain rights to YouTube and other users of the Service, as described below. Licence to YouTube ---------------------- By providing Content to the Service, you grant to YouTube and its Affiliates (including YouTube LLC, Google LLC and Google Commerce Limited) a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use that Content (including to host, to make publicly available, reproduce, distribute, modify, display and perform it, taking into account the moral rights) for the sole purpose of operating, and improving the Service (including through the use of third-party service providers), and only to the extent necessary therefore. Licence to Other Users -------------------------- You also grant each other user of the Service a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to access your Content through the Service, and to use that Content (including to reproduce, distribute, modify, display, and perform it, taking into account the moral rights) only to the extent necessary therefore and as enabled by a feature of the Service. Duration of Licence ----------------------- The licences granted by you continue until the Content is removed as described below. Once removed, the licences will terminate, except where you permitted the further use of Content after your removal, or the law requires otherwise. For example, removal of Content by you does not require YouTube to: (a) recall Content that is being used by other users within any limited offline viewing functionality of the Service; or (b) delete copies we reasonably need to keep for legal purposes.

Clause: royalty-free

Rights you Grant -------------------- You retain all of your ownership rights in your Content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours. However, we do require you to grant certain rights to YouTube and other users of the Service, as described below. Licence to YouTube ---------------------- By providing Content to the Service, you grant to YouTube and its Affiliates (including YouTube LLC, Google LLC and Google Commerce Limited) a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use that Content (including to host, to make publicly available, reproduce, distribute, modify, display and perform it, taking into account the moral rights) for the sole purpose of operating, and improving the Service (including through the use of third-party service providers), and only to the extent necessary therefore. Licence to Other Users -------------------------- You also grant each other user of the Service a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to access your Content through the Service, and to use that Content (including to reproduce, distribute, modify, display, and perform it, taking into account the moral rights) only to the extent necessary therefore and as enabled by a feature of the Service. Duration of Licence ----------------------- The licences granted by you continue until the Content is removed as described below. Once removed, the licences will terminate, except where you permitted the further use of Content after your removal, or the law requires otherwise. For example, removal of Content by you does not require YouTube to: (a) recall Content that is being used by other users within any limited offline viewing functionality of the Service; or (b) delete copies we reasonably need to keep for legal purposes. Right to Monetize You grant to YouTube the right to monetize your Content on the Service (and such monetization may include displaying ads on or within Content or charging users a fee for access).

Clause: royalty-free, assignable

Terminations and Suspensions by YouTube ------------------------------------------- YouTube reserves the right to suspend or terminate your Google account or your access to all or part of the Service if: (a) you materially or repeatedly breach this Agreement; (b) we are required to do so to comply with a legal requirement or a court order; or (c) there are objective and concrete reasons to believe there has been conduct that creates liability or harm to any user, other third party, YouTube or our Affiliates. Notice for Termination or Suspension ---------------------------------------- We will notify you with the reason for termination or suspension by YouTube, and where such action is taken for cause, we will give you the opportunity to remedy or stop the stated behaviour, unless there are objective and concrete reasons to believe that to do so: (a) would violate the law or the direction of a legal enforcement authority; (b) would compromise an investigation or (c) would substantially compromise the integrity, operation or security of the Service; or (d) would cause substantial harm to any user, other third party, YouTube or our Affiliates. Effect of Account Suspension or Termination ----------------------------------------------- If your Google account is terminated or your access to the Service is restricted, you may continue using certain aspects of the Service (such as viewing only) without an account, and this Agreement will continue to apply to such use. If you believe that the notified termination or suspension is made in error, you can appeal using this form, in which case we will consider your appeal reasoning and reassess our decision. About Software in our Service ================================= Downloadable Software ------------------------- When the Service requires or includes downloadable software (such as the YouTube Studio application), unless that software is governed by additional terms which provide a licence, YouTube gives you a personal, worldwide, royalty-free, non-assignable and non-exclusive licence to use the software provided to you by YouTube as part of the Service. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling you to use and enjoy the benefit of the Service as provided by YouTube, in the manner permitted by this Agreement. You are not allowed to copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the software, or to reverse-engineer or attempt to extract the source code of that software, unless laws prohibit these restrictions or you have YouTube’s written permission. Open Source --------------- Some software used in our Service may be offered under an open source licence. There may be provisions in an open source licence that expressly override some of these terms.

Clause: automated means

The following restrictions apply to your use of the Service. You are not allowed to: 1. access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, alter, modify or otherwise use any part of the Service or any Content except: (a) as specifically permitted by the Service; (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicable, the respective rights holders; or (c) as permitted by applicable law; 2. circumvent, disable, fraudulently engage, or otherwise interfere with the Service (or attempt to do any of these things), including security-related features or features that: (a) prevent or restrict the copying or other use of Content; or (b) limit the use of the Service or Content; 3. access the Service using any automated means (such as robots, botnets or scrapers) except: (a) in the case of public search engines, in accordance with YouTube’s robots.txt file; (b) with YouTube’s prior written permission; or (c) as permitted by applicable law; 4. collect or use any information that might identify a person (for example, harvesting usernames or faces), unless permitted by that person or allowed under section 3 above; 5. use the Service to distribute unsolicited promotional or commercial content or other unwanted or mass solicitations (spam); 6. cause or encourage any inaccurate measurements of genuine user engagement with the Service, including by paying people or providing them with incentives to increase a video’s views, likes, or dislikes, or to increase a channel’s subscribers, or otherwise manipulate metrics; 7. misuse any reporting, flagging, complaint, dispute, or appeals process, including by making groundless, vexatious, or frivolous submissions; 8.

2022-09-20

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

All clauses unchanged from 2022-07-11 (see above).

2022-11-22

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

All clauses unchanged from 2022-09-20 (see above).

2023-04-06

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

All clauses unchanged from 2022-11-22 (see above).

2023-04-08

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

All clauses unchanged from 2023-04-06 (see above).

2024-12-12

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

All clauses unchanged from 2023-04-08 (see above).

2025-01-15

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

All clauses unchanged from 2024-12-12 (see above).

2025-03-17

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

All clauses unchanged from 2025-01-15 (see above).

2025-03-18

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

All clauses unchanged from 2025-03-17 (see above).

2025-07-19

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

All clauses unchanged from 2025-03-18 (see above).

2025-07-20

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

All clauses unchanged from 2025-07-19 (see above).

2025-10-03

• Explicit AI clause: NO
• Non-explicit predatory: YES
• Flagged keywords: royalty-free, assignable, automated means

All clauses unchanged from 2025-07-20 (see above).