Last time we wrote about the subject, the FairTube initiative – which is the result of the YouTubers Union joining with Europe’s largest union, IG Metall (IGM) – was awaiting a response from Google to enter negotiations to demand more transparency into YouTube’s decisions that affect creators on the platform, with a deadline of thirty days. On the 23nd of August, just before the last few hours in the deadline, Google sent a letter to FairTube agreeing to enter negotiations on YouTube. The initiative went silent for September before announcing that it would be meeting in Google’s Berlin office on the 22nd of October.
During the preparations for the meeting, Google had refused to invite Joerg Sprave – founder of the YouTubers Union – to the meeting, despite repeated requests from IGM to include him. Google had reportedly stated that Joerg was “not representative of YouTubers,” without stating why. A poll was conducted in the Union’s Facebook group to determine if IGM should attend the meeting anyway, with the majority firmly voting against it, effectively cancelling it.
With the FairTube team disappointed in the outcome, they promised to pursue legal means to press YouTube into meeting their six demands, such as publishing all categories and criteria affecting monetization and video views.
Personally, I think this is a bad move for Google, showing their unwillingness to talk to a YouTube creator about the service, instead opting to talk to IGM members who are less familiar with YouTube than Joerg.
If you haven’t already, you can read our initial coverage of FairTube here! You can also read some of my other editorials, such as Delisted Games or Things I Dislike in Games!