08/06/2025

I'm officially done with Google.

Recently, YouTube announced that it would be implementing an AI that will attempt to determine a user's age based on a few different factors. If their AI incorrectly marks you as under 18 for any reason and you're actually 18 or older, you'll have to present your government ID, a credit card, or some other personal information to verify that you are an adult to be able to use certain site features.

While this doesn't sound awful on paper, it actually means that among other things, you won't be able to make money off of your videos at all if you're a creator. And even if you're not a creator, the principle of giving Google even more of your personal information than they probably already have should shake you to your very core. If it doesn't, I don't know what to tell you.

I already stopped using Chromium-based browsers after Google made the really shitty move to cut notable holidays relating to minority groups in the U.S. off their calendar... but this is the final straw that broke the camel's back for me. Now, I'm planning to stop using Google's services altogether, as I know they're only going to get worse from here.

I've already subscribed to Proton Drive Plus - Proton is based in Switzerland, which has strict laws on internet privacy, so I trust them with my data more than I trust a vast majority of American "big tech" corporations these days. I'm currently in the process of transferring all the files I had saved on Google Drive to Proton's alternative.

On August 13, when YouTube's new age-guessing AI is planned to start rolling out, I will be deleting my YouTube account and never looking back. I'll be downloading a lot of my favorite YouTube videos over the next week or so before that happens, so I've got nothing to lose, really.

Fuck you, Google. You can say it's about "protecting kids" as much as you want, but we all know you'll still be running disturbing NSFW ads on videos they watch and allowing weirdo comment bots to run rampant across the platform. "Rules for thee, none for me" headass. Admit it, you just want to sell our IDs on the black market.

Fuckin' creeps.