YouTube said it will make its deepfake-detection feature available to every creator aged 18 and older in the coming weeks. The company first introduced the tool in November 2025 and is now moving from limited tests to a broad rollout.
What the feature does and how it works
The system is designed to help prevent videos containing AI-generated likenesses — so-called deepfakes — of real people from appearing on the platform. YouTube has compared the function’s role in protecting personality rights to how ContentID enforces copyright.
Within YouTube Studio, the feature appears under the Content recognition menu. To activate it, users scan a displayed QR code, complete a short video verification, and present some form of identity document to the platform. After verification, YouTube scans uploaded videos for appearances of the user’s face; when matches are found, the user can request removal of the matching videos.
Who can use it?
The tool was initially tested with a selected group of users and later extended to public figures and journalists. Jack Malon, a YouTube spokesperson, told The Verge that although the feature was built with creators in mind, anyone can use it in practice.
Availability in Hungary
Our testing shows the feature has not yet appeared for Hungarian users; YouTube’s expansion is expected to roll out over the coming weeks.
Why this matters
The tool can help limit the spread of deceptive or manipulated videos and strengthen protection of personal rights online. At the same time, the requirement for identity verification and the platform’s scanning of uploads for facial likenesses may raise privacy and misuse concerns, since the system relies on collecting and matching biometric-like data.
Brief summary
YouTube will grant access to its deepfake-detection tool to all creators aged 18 and older in the coming weeks. Activation requires QR-code verification and an identity document; after verification, YouTube scans uploads for the user’s likeness and allows removal requests for matching content.
