The removal of the public dislike count on YouTube refers to a significant platform alteration implemented in late 2021. While viewers could still register a dislike on a video, the specific number of dislikes was no longer visible to the general public. This change was intended to address concerns about online harassment and targeted campaigns aimed at negatively impacting creators.
This alteration was motivated by several factors, including protecting creators from coordinated attacks designed to artificially inflate dislike counts. Such campaigns could discourage creators, particularly those newer to the platform or producing content perceived as controversial. By obscuring the dislike metric, the platform aimed to foster a more inclusive and less hostile environment, particularly for smaller channels that may be more vulnerable to coordinated negative feedback.