YouTube hiding comment like counts?

Not sure if this is something that has been around for a while but within the last week or so I've started to notice that the like count on certain comments seems to be hidden. It's not that the comments don't have any likes, they clearly do because they are displayed near the top and YouTube orders comments based on likes by default, and they're just the type of comments you know for sure have lots of likes. If you try to like one of these comments it will say the comment has 1 like but if you refresh the page it wont show the like count, it will just highlight the thumb up button to indicate you've already liked the comment. Using a different web browser or different account on YouTube seems to make no difference. There is also no way for video authors to hide the like count for a specific comment, they can only remove the entire comment. In fact I've seen the like count hidden on a comment made by the video author.

Maybe I'm missing something completely obvious here but this seems a bit suspicious to me. What seems most suspicious is that the videos which seem to have these comments are usually controversial political videos and one might start to think the controllers of YouTube are specifically targeting certain comments. But although less common, I've seen totally non-political videos with comments like this so I'm assuming there's some sort of bot which flags comments containing certain words and phrases and then those comments must be manually verified by someone. As I was writing this thread I noticed one video where the majority of the comments seemed to have hidden like counts and then after refreshing the page a few times the like counts were suddenly visible, and the likes were in the hundreds or thousands. I had used multiple web browsers and multiple accounts to check this video before and after the like counts were made visible, the change showed on everything and was instant.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

You know how it is impossible to add to a tv or radio news cast, a newspaper or magazine article? Give the controllers time, they will slowly, steadily infringe on your right to respond on the Internet too, just like they have infringed upon all our other rights.

(reaches for frog pond temperature control)

a reply to: intrptr

What rights?

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: intrptr

What rights?

Internet Neutrality, the right for everyone to have a say, that super 'right of way' hi way.

a reply to: intrptr



I wonder if there is a pattern where just certain view points related to the likes are being suppressed?

naw, can't be. move along, nothing to see here.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

I am shocked CNN is still showing the like/dislike ratio.

Its abysmal

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

No different than Goo-Toob suppressing likes and dislikes when presenting search results and/or video sorting order.

It's very calculated, and very much intentional. This was no absent minded mistake.

originally posted by: stosh64
a reply to: ChaoticOrder

I am shocked CNN is still showing the like/dislike ratio.

Its abysmal

They hate that Trump bypasses the News media with Twitter.

They want exclusive 'filter'-ship on everything we hear or see.

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: intrptr

What rights?

Internet Neutrality, the right for everyone to have a say, that super 'right of way' hi way.

The internet is privately owned. You have no rights on the internet.

If you click on the comment it will show the likes, but it is stupid, just like they don't show the dislikes for comments.

When you publish content on youtube you have an option to turn off the ratings.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder
I believe that is actually a setting that can be changed by the Uploader under his settings. I just started uploading youtube videos from twitter, and there are a # ton of statistic settings. I will check to see if this feature is there as well.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

well it looks like my account is about to be banned on youtube because I just got a strike on a video showing normal combat ops in Raqqa Syria. More than likely CENTCOM is trying to piss me off from 5 miles south by shutting me down from showing stuff they want censored. Like wtf?? I cited all sources, provide a description, and lock anything with graphic content to age restriction.

Damn Deep State really pisses me off sometimes!

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

Wow, I've never seen a like score hundreds of thousands. Then again, it's a rare day when I put on the scuba kit, hold my nose and go down into the YT comment sewers.

ATS staff delete some fairly bad comments from time to time. We've seen some shockers over the years. YT leaves comments up that would get someone instantly banned on ATS. If they're twiddling with the like counts, I don't understand why their moderation team* would let them stand. If they leave the posts, why bother with the like counts??

* not entirely sure they have mods

a reply to: worldstarcountry

why are you promoting war videos in the first place???

originally posted by: worldstarcountry
a reply to: worldstarcountry

well it looks like my account is about to be banned on youtube because I just got a strike on a video showing normal combat ops in Raqqa Syria. More than likely CENTCOM is trying to piss me off from 5 miles south by shutting me down from showing stuff they want censored. Like wtf?? I cited all sources, provide a description, and lock anything with graphic content to age restriction.

Damn Deep State really pisses me off sometimes!

Can you link the video here?

a reply to: Donnitinen

You signed up for ATS to make this post? Really?!?

a reply to: Skywatcher2011
I am documenting the liberation of Mosul and Raqqa. Mosul is done now though, and focusing more on Syria now. Are you saying we should burn all the war documentaries ever produced and nobody should ever know what is happening?? Like censorship, is this what you are alluding??
I age restrict videos with dead people, what more does youtube want??
In fact, they did not even remove the video I uploaded where the award Winning White Helmets where seen dumping the beheaded bodies of Syrian Army soldiers (with age restriction) . So why remove a normal video of SDF firing at enemy positions in Raqq with scenes of them talking in between about the OP?? Nobody was even killed or injured in the video!! I merely described it exactly as the twitter post described.

YouTube has been doing shady # forever. Shadow banning is a regular thing now, you may comment on a video but only you will be able to see it. A lot of the "official" channels are heavily astroturfed as well.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

I think they want people to pay for their demographics.