An automated system that allows copyright holders to flag their content on YouTube ran amok this week as a number of large news agencies claimed public domain NASA footage as their own, forcing the space agency’s videos offline and denying CTTechJunkie its ability to earn revenue on its coverage of the Mars rover landing.

The takedowns occurred through YouTube’s copyright identification system called Content ID. Google, YouTube’s parent company, implemented the system in response to concerns (and lawsuits) raised by the entertainment industry over YouTube users uploading copyrighted content to the site. It is able to find patterns in videos that match video or audio from major media companies and immediately have those videos pulled down. Or, they add advertisements that benefit the rightsholder.

Click here to read more and find out what happened.

Lon Seidman is the host and producer of “Lon.TV,” a consumer technology video show that is on a number of platforms including YouTube and Amazon. He creates in-depth, consumer-friendly product reviews and commentary. His YouTube channel has over 300,000 subscribers and more than 100 million views.

In addition to being a full-time content creator, Lon is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Hartford (his alma mater) where he teaches a course in entrepreneurial content creation.

Prior to becoming a full-time creator, Lon was a partner at The Safety Zone, his family’s business that manufactures gloves and safety equipment. The company has locations around the globe and employs over 200 people worldwide. The Safety Zone was acquired by the Genuine Parts Corporation in 2016.

Lon is also active in public service, serving as the Chairman of the Essex Board of Education, a member of the Region 4 Board of Education, and as the Secretary / Treasurer of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education. He was endorsed by both Democrats and Republicans for his re-election in 2021.

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