The visibility of the dislike count on YouTube videos was officially removed in November 2021. This change means that while video creators can still see the number of dislikes on their own videos through YouTube Studio, the public can no longer view this metric. Third-party browser extensions and alternative platforms have emerged attempting to restore this functionality, offering users a potential method to estimate or view dislike counts, though these methods often rely on crowdsourced data or API access which may be subject to change.
The rationale behind hiding the public dislike count was to reduce coordinated attacks aimed at downvoting creators’ videos, particularly smaller channels. YouTube argued that this change would foster a more inclusive and respectful environment, allowing creators to experiment without fear of harassment. The removal alters the way viewers assess content quality, potentially impacting their viewing decisions and influencing content creation strategies.
