Libera Internet!

For the longest time big businesses have been cracking down on… Well, everything, but the subject of this manifesto is YouTube. For the longest time we’ve been unfree on the internet. For the longest time… They have controlled us. They drained us of our creativity. We weren’t loud enough about that. They drained us of our happiness. We weren’t loud enough about that. But now, now has the final straw been plucked, and they are now asking us for our information.

This cannot continue!

Google-owned YouTube are providing an (ai-powered(!!!)) age verification algorithm that will analyze different metrics on a YouTube user’s account an determine if they’re a child or not. If this algorithm (an ai, might I add) suspects that you’re a child, your account will be restricted.

But the crux of the matter is, what happens if you’re an adult and get recognized as a child?

Answer: You have to either provide your ID, credit card or a selfie of yourself to confirm you as an adult.

They want your info. And they want it NOW.

Obvious faults

One of the things the algorithm looks trough is watch history. Using this info, they can easier determine if you’re a child or not.

Or so they say.

Remember, and always remember: One can be an adult but still enjoy traditionally “childish” things, (pokemon, super mario etc. etc. ) and this is counted into your age metric. And remember, kids: You have to either provide your ID, credit card or a selfie of yourself to confirm you as an adult.

They claim this is to protect children, which everyone easily saw trough. It is not a corporation’s responsibility to regulate children. Not at all.

Clippy

Clippy is the old Windows assistant. On the Windows desktop, he tried his best to assist you. Many people made fun of him (because, quite frankly, he was pretty bad at his job), but his failure in combination with him really wanting and trying to help made him strangely human, strangely fun.

What then, does clippy have to do with this?

Users all over YouTube have been changing their profile pictures to clippy, in a silent protest against YouTube’s new policy. Clippy would never steal your info, after all.

And that is the situation.

August 13th, 2025

As of writing this, the above date is (including today) 3 days away. On that day, supporters of the aptly named clippy movement will refuse to use YouTube, a boycott, thus not giving them money. But this is no fake boycott, this is a real boycott. A boycott is not refusing to use something for one day and then go back and act like nothing happened. A boycott is refusing to use something until the “manufacturer” of said thing has given in to popular demand. A consumer strike.

So, Clippyists all over the world, unite! Don’t let this anti-consumerism continue! We shall flourish in the world, not get opressed by the powers that be. Smash capitalism! Smash anti-consumerism! Smash Google!