Google Account Security-  A Nuisance or Necessary Precaution?

One of the most troublesome concerns with the internet today is the security of our online lives, and the safety and security of our Google Accounts, our "hub" for all that we do with Google products, is obviously a big consideration.

1.  The Good Old Days

Traditionally (and I am from that early time-  2003/2006) it was not the "done thing" to give your personal details out online, not even to those pioneering sites like YouTube, My Space and Facebook.  We used pseudonyms, never gave our real date of birth, and we usually used a common password which was easy to remember for the five or so online sites we frequented.  Remember secret questions and answers?  Sigh...

But at this point it is really important to note that our concerns were (and still are) in regard to privacy.  Often at the cost of security.  Two distinctly different concerns with heavy overlap, which must not be mistaken for each other.

2.  The Rise of The Hackers (sounds like a title for a B Movie)

Fast forward to 2014/15 when the data breaches (security failures impacting privacy concerns) began to plague our online lives and sites began to clamp down.  Consumer email providers were suddenly seeing thousands of their users's accounts hacked /stolen.  Banks introduced physical keys with constantly regenerating passcodes to secure our bank accounts.  And, naturally, companies like Google began to really need to protect the increasingly valuable Google products users entrusted into Google's care.

Now, in 2023, Google is working at providing robust solutions which their users can use to protect their Google assets.  

It may not seem obvious to someone who uses, perhaps, a YouTube channel to create a playlist of their favourite music videos only-  but YouTube provides thousands of creators with a living, ie full-time employment.  To have such a Google product hijacked can be catastrophic.  A hacked Google Account and hijacked YouTube channel = $1,000s in revenues lost.  Similarly a Gmail email user may be using their Gmail email for their entire personal life's affairs-  government correspondence, emails with hospital records, invitations to job interviews etc.  Imagine losing that from one day to the next!

Bottom line:

Google Account security has never ever been

more important than it is today.

3.  Recommendations

So-  go and read this:  https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/46526, if that is the only article you do read on the subject.

And then-  act on it.  Get, at very least, 2-step verification for your Google Account and make sure to avail yourself of all the options offered that you can afford (YUBI keys are great, but they cost.  Passkeys are awesome if you already have a "biometrically-enabled" device!!).

It will not make your life harder;  it will make it much harder for would-be hackers and so much easier for Google to help you get back in.

4.  Further Reading

If you are really interested in a deep-dive on the topic then I can heartily recommend checking out the following resources:

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/12629482

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/7162782 

https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/public-key/ of which the following are of interest:

1. https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/google-account-recover/
2. https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/why-design-important-security/
3. https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/a-simpler-and-safer-future-without-passwords/

A YouTube History for the Uninitiated or Utterly Confused

(or the one where TLFU tries to make sense of the world.  And fails)

• 14th February 2005 - YouTube launches as a, predominantly, music video-sharing platform.
• 9th October 2006 - Google announces the purchase of YouTube.
• Late 2006 to early 2009 - things go on as before, despite Google owning YouTube.
• 6th May 2009 - creating a new YouTube channel requires using a Google Account to create it "on".  The YouTube channel is a "product" or "service" on its owner Google Account. 
• May 6th 2009 to 10th January 2011 - Google "encourages" users to link their pre-May 6th 2009 "legacy YouTube accounts" to Google Accounts voluntarily (with a brief period of actually making it virtually impossible not to link).  This linkage is termed an "upgrade" from legacy YouTube account to YouTube channel.
• 11th January 2011 - Google makes it a requirement to link any legacy YouTube accounts which are still not linked to Google Accounts if the user wants to use their YouTube account going forward.
• 2011 - Google introduces the "User ID" for all YouTube channels, to run alongside the /user/ custom URL or "YouTube username".
• December 2011 - All unclaimed/non-linked inactive (no content) legacy YouTube accounts are purged from the system.
• 2012 - Google moves YouTube channel creation to the Google Account page. and introduces the /channel/ URL as the default URL for all YouTube channels being created, requiring users to then go to YouTube to create a legacy /user/ URL if desired.
• January 2012 to early September 2012 - Google makes it a requirement for all new YouTube channels being created being created on "for the purpose" Gmail email-using Google Accounts.  This was confusing as there is no clear messaging to let users know that they are creating a Gmail, not a YouTube channel in step 1.
• Early 2012 - All YouTube channels created going forward come with a Google+ Profile linkage by default.  During this time it was possible to unlink from that auto-generated default Google+ Profile and choose not to use Google+.
• 2012 - Google+ adopts a fairly aggressive (Real) Name Policy and users who did not use their real first and last names were suspended, pending review.
• Late Spring 2013 - Google introduces Google+ Pages for YouTube channels.  Any new YouTube channel created from that point onward was perma-linked to the "business or other name" Google+ Page.  Any YouTube channel created prior to 2013 and not yet linked to a Google+ Page was not impacted.
  
• May 2013 - Google retires the ability to sign in with legacy YouTube "usernames" (the legacy custom URL) and require all users to use the Google Account email address username.  During the first three months the Google Account's email address username is displayed if the correct legacy "YouTube username" and password are entered.
• Late 2013 - The YouTube commenting system is replaced with the Google+ commenting system and YouTube users who wish to comment at YouTube are required to link their non-linked YouTube channels to Google+ products of one or the other type.
  
• End of first week in January 2014 - Google makes it so that all new YouTube channels are perma-linked to either a personal Google+ Profile or a non-personal Google+ Page.
  
• Mid-January 2014 - Google makes it so that all already linked-to-Google+ YouTube channels are perma-linked to whichever Google+ product they were linked to at the time (the only ones not affected are YouTube channels which were NOT linked to anything Google+ at the time of the change).
• Middle of 2014 - Google+ lifts the need to use a "real (looking) name" for Google+ Profiles.  This meant that users could use any name, within reason, for both Google+ Profiles and/or a Google+ Pages.
• Late 2014 -  The old style ("legacy") custom URL (/user/) creation is retired altogether and wholly replaced with the custom /c/ URL offers by Google system.
• Late Spring 2015 - Google clamps down on Google Account security and users accessing their Google Accounts from abroad/elsewhere are locked out if they do not have recovery options or two-step verification enabled.
• Mid-March 2015 - the Account Transfer Tool is introduced to enable users to move their YouTube channel from one Google+ product's linkage to a different Google+ product's linkage, providing both were on the same Google account.
• 2015 - Google suspends the ability to set secret questions and answers for Google Account security.
• Late 2015 - Google begins separating Google+ and YouTube once more, starting with the separating of Google+ Profiles from their linked YouTube channels so that it is no longer evident publicly that the two are linked unless users choose for it to be evident.  Read more here:  https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-comments
• 2016 - Google+ Pages for YouTube are replaced with "Brand Accounts".  These still retain the @pages ID though no longer Google+ products.
• 2016 to 2018 - various updates to the Google Account and YouTube product creation process take place.
• April 2019 - Google+ shuts down.
• 10th July 2019 - G Suite for Education revokes ability for G Suite for Education users to own/use Brand Accounts, deleting any wholly owned by G Suite for Education users.  Some extensions until later in 2019 are granted upon application by academic staff.
• 2020 - Google ramps up security another few notches for Google Accounts.
• November 2022 - YouTube introduce the @handle to, essentially, replace the custom /c/ URL selection system going forward.  All YouTube products are assigned one, no exceptions.  Variations:  for existing YouTube products their legacy URLs are still in place, but the newer, additional @handle is used in their place, meaning that all URLs will point to the same YouTube product but only the @handle URL will display.  All new YouTube channels only have their unique /channel/ URL (still unseen) and the @handle, which is the URL that is displayed.

Creating a YouTube product (YouTube channel or YouTube Brand Account) for a client in 2020

Creating a YouTube channel is still a very personal affair in that every YouTube channel which is created is created by/for an individual and is inextricably linked to that person and (their) Google account.

Because of that fact it is important to start the process of YouTube channel creation with that in mind- who IS the responsible person who will ensure that access is maintained for the lifetime of the YouTube channel?  Is it the creator or someone else, a client perhaps?

Here is how to avoid problems in the future when starting from scratch (i.e. creating a Google account):

1)  Determine who is ultimately going to "own" the YouTube channel and its Google Account?  Because, know this- every YouTube channel is a mere product of its Google account.

2)  Gather their personal data for the creation of the Google account-

1. the owner client's first and last name,
2. date of birth (note:  a date of birth is not the same as a company's founding year- it refers very literally to the person's "birth"), and-
3. mobile/cell phone number.  

3)  Get them to prepare a company (domain) email for their YouTube channel's Google account (note that it would be better if this was not a G Suite user/managed mail as G Suite and YouTube do not work well together).  Alternatively discuss the creation (by you) of a "for the purpose" Gmail with them and be prepared to work with them to find the perfect Gmail email/username as many will have been "taken" already.


4)  Also get them to supply you with a recovery email which should be one which is permanent and never likely to be deleted/lost.

5)  Finally ask them to choose a name for the Brand Account you will be creating for the YouTube channel.

6)  Create the Google account in the responsible individual's name, with their details and use a password they should change once you hand over control.  Have the verification code sent to their mobile/cell phone, and ask them to pass it on to you as soon as possible (it helps to be in contact with them by mobile/cellphone at very least).

7)  Go to www.youtube.com and click on the avatar at the top right, select Settings from the resulting drop-down menu, and click on Add or manage your channel(s).  Click on + Create a new channel and follow instructions, bearing in mind that you are creating a YouTube Brand Account with the name provided to you by the client in 5) above.

8)  IF desired by the company/client- make yourself a manager (I do not recommend that you make yourself an owner unless the client is very clear on the implications of this) of the YouTube Brand Account you have just created with the YouTube channel with your own Google Account.  That way you can hand over control of the master Google account created in the responsible person's name but still have "manager" access to the YouTube channel to continue with your involvement via your own Google account.  You will need to invite yourself as a manager from within the new Google Account's YouTube Brand Account which you can do in Settings which is accessed via the drop-down menu on clicking your avatar at the top right, and where you select Add or remove manager(s) which takes you to the specific YouTube Brand Account's controls (the general link is:  https://myaccount.google.com/brandaccounts where you can select the YouTube Brand Account you wish to work with).

9)  Hand over control of the master Google account to the responsible person/client and request that they change the password and make a note of the Google Account's email address/username and the new password for future reference.  Impress upon them that this is vital data which should be kept safe.

10)  Share with them this link:  https://www.google.com/landing/2step/ and ask them to secure their Google Account with two-step verification.  In this day and age it is no longer sensible to do less.  It is also important that they do this without your involvement as this is for their protection and the only way to ensure that your client is best supported by you.

The Lady from UNCLE | 2013 repost

If you are reading this then you may have stumbled across my writings about matters YouTube channels and Google Account management, and are wondering who this verbose and quite mad person is.

What:

OK- I come from a long line of problem solvers and have performed this task for Electronic Arts/Maxis and Aspyr before becoming involved with YouTube.  I actually stumbled across the YouTube Help Forum some years back looking to report (or for a solution to) a bug which was hindering musicians' full use of YouTube and stayed because I realised I had the answer, not YouTube/Google.

In the end Google must have relented and decided that if they could not beat me they might as well join me, and invited me to be a top contributor.  :P  Na-  I clearly baffled them with my BS and they thought it prudent to harness my madness.

So in 2010 I joined the team and made it my mission in virtual life to solve problems with YouTube channels and how their Google Accounts work with/against them.  I have specialised in Google Account recovery and management over the years and am pleased to report that it is still very much 9:1 in the users' favour!  I also engage on policy issues and try to help users get the best out of their appeals, because I feel that it is an area in which users can do with at least some support in getting through to the right teams and there is precious little available on that level.


How:

I am not a Do This, Do That type of person, sorry.  I post at length and in detail with the aim to educate the user to help themselves and understand what they did and why it impacted them as it did.

There are many less long-winded users who probably know as much as I (yes, I appear to be bragging but really, if you think on it, it is sad really, that someone with my education, training and life experience should know so much about something so, so, erm... "virtual") but I always find that explaining the whys and wherefores to users ensures that they do not repeat the same mistake time and time again.  Because-  who knows if the brief instructions followed will still be around/apply the next time around!


Why:

I help others because it suits me.  Candidly seen-  I need the mental exercise of problem-solving because being kept busy keeps me sane in my insanity.  I am not hyper-active, but my mind is.  Always.  I am a classic Gemini.


Who:

That said- I am not given to being used as a punching bag and prefer users to not take their frustrations out on me.  I am not to blame for the problem after all.  Shooting the messenger is bad practice and I am only human.  I will respond in kind and move on quickly.  Which is something to bear in mind if you want continued beneficial (to you) engagement from me.

In my other life I am a designer, a photographer, an editor, a teacher, a company director, a producer, a parent, a welder, a student of law (note-  I am not a lawyer), and a collector of marbles (in joke- sorry).

I am not a secret agent as some allege, so please don't bother reporting me to the FBI, CIA, MI5 or the Home Office.  It's been done already (yes, someone really did report me to their "friend" in the agency) so they know that U.N.C.L.E. is not real and that I am not one of them.  I mean- you can, but you will only make a fool of yourself.

My insignia is my own work.  It features a griffin holding the scale of justice (I am a bit obsessive about right and wrong), a claymore (another symbol of justice), and Alice in Wonderland looking at the all-seeing eye on top of a pyramid (I am also a scholar of Egyptology) which some believe means I am Illuminati.  I am not that either.

In fact I am exactly what I say I am- a free agent (kind of a play on words- I am self-employed, free to please myself).  The Roman numerals have significance, as does the Latin.  The truth will indeed set you free.  If there is anything else you'd like to know- just ask.  I don't generally bite.  :D

YouTube Channels, Google Accounts, And Their Ownership (The Answer Might Come As A Surprise)

Let me state this from the outset:  Google Accounts are individual and personal affairs.  There-  that's that out of the way with.  Now-  what does that mean and how does it affect users?


1.  Google Accounts are owned by individuals, the persons who create or are given access to a Google Account.

This is a commonly overlooked fact and it is crucial in understanding the options available to users for retaining and, often more importantly, regaining access.  The clues are in the creation process where-

• the first and last name of an individual are called for,
• the birthdate, and not the founding/creation date, is called for, 
• a gender is asked for, and-
• the agreement between the user and Google is sealed with the user clicking "I agree", and not "we/the organisation agree(s)".

Note the emphasis on an individual's details required

With the last one the user basically agrees to maintain the integrity of their Google Account and to not give access to a third party, making sure to maintain security for themselves.  This, the latter, is something I will address in more detail later.


2.  YouTube channels are mere services on Google Accounts and are "owned" by those individuals who control (and, presumably, own) the Google Accounts these YouTube channels are services on.  And because Google Accounts are owned by individuals-  so are the YouTube channels thereon.  And the Blogger account.  And the Gmail.  Which brings me to-


3.  The associated email addresses are their Google Accounts' usernames.  Pretty much any email will do- Google's own Gmail service, third party online services like Yahoo and Hotmail or your own domain email service.  But, again, be aware that even a business email which is used by more than one person does not render the Google Account a group affair.  In fact academic email supplied by an educational establishment or managed mail through a company are not, in fact, owned by the individual owning the Google Account and create a near impossible situation where the owner of the Google Account does not have full and sole control of their Google Account due to an establishment having control over the email address.  What does this mean?  Read on:


4.  Case scenarios:

• Example 1:  a student graduates and the academic establishment removes the student's email address.  This leads to the student no longer having use of their Google Account which they'd created with that email.  The only option is for them to work with the academic establishment to reinstate the email address and to see if they, between them, can change the Google Account's email address to one owned and controlled by the student.
• Example 2:  an employee of a company/organisation sets up a Google Account with YouTube channel and other services using their company/work email address which is managed mail or through the company's Google Apps.  They leave the company/organisation and their company/work email is deleted by their former employer.  This renders the Google Account inaccessible in the same manner as the example above.  In fact-  this can also delete the entire Google Account if done (in)correctly.  This is because the email address was never actually owned by the individual setting up the Google Account and this is, in essence, a conflict of interest and not strictly in line with the agreement between the Google Account's owner/creator and Google.  Support is extremely limited and must involve the owner of the managed mail or Google Apps account.
• Example 3:  an employee of a company/organisation sets up a Google Account with YouTube channel and other services using their personal email address or a Gmail email address, ostensibly for the company/organisation but then leaves without transferring ownership of the Google Account to another individual.  The company, who never owned/cannot own the Google Account, is left without recourse beyond contacting the owner and asking them to transfer ownership to another individual in the company.  This is, of course, at the discretion of the (legal) owner of the Google Account.  Meaning that if they refuse to hand over the Google Account, then there is little the company/organisation can do beyond claiming the content of the YouTube channel where applicable, filing a trademark infringement claim to have the channel taken down, or even taking legal action.  In the video below I look at Google Account ownership:

5.  Control/access is "nine tenth of the law" is a sweeping statement, but it pretty much sums up the basic facts.  Google Accounts can be created by individuals who agree to abide by Google's terms of service and the individual can pass on ownership of their Google Accounts to another individual if they must, or just transfer ownership of their Google Account's assets to another individual's Google Account if they need to ownership of their Google Account for themselves.  The individual secures their Google Account against third party access by any other individual in order to maintain "ownership" and this is addressed with-


6.  Access to a Google Account is the user's responsibility.  Think about it-  if you cannot remember or don't know (perhaps because you let someone else create/own what you believe is yours) your Google Account's sign in details (i.e. the email address username and password used to sign in with) then Google cannot verify you as the rightful owner except by asking you to use your Google Account's recovery options which you set for such an eventuality.  And, failing you being able to use your own recovery options-  very generic questions about the Google Account which only the owner can know.

This means that if the third party email address or the phone number placed on record are no longer valid-  they cannot, obviously, be helpful to you.  But Google cannot know that they are no longer valid because the owner didn't update them.  And Google will not override them as they are obliged by the creator/owner to maintain nominal security in the absence of something like 2-step verification which I discuss in the next section.

And the implications of the above for someone who is seeking access to something they did not create (and therefore do not actually own) is that they have no option but to ask the creator/owner for access to it.

In this video I discuss what to consider when creating a Google Account/YouTube channel for a client or third party but this can also be used to inform those who ask others to create Google Accounts for them:

7.  Retaining access and security of a Google Account is the responsibility of the individual, the owner.  Because the contract the individual agreed to is between the individual and Google and Google Accounts are a free service the gaining of access and security of an individual's Google Account is very much DIY.  This is done with the Google Account Recovery tool.

I have dealt with this topic for over six years now and it has become painfully clear that confusion over correct setting up, ownership of assets and responsibility for security has led to many Google Accounts and their assets being lost to their owners or those who mistakenly believed themselves to be owners.

The thousands of cases I have seen over the years have three common themes:

1. It's my video/me in the video-  why does the YouTube channel's Google Account not belong to me?  To which the answer is that copyright ownership of a video on a Google Account's asset ≠ proof of ownership of the Google Account and, with it, the YouTube channel.
2. It's my company's YouTube channel and Google Account-  why can I not be given access to the Google Account?  To which the answer is that the Google Account is owned by the creator or the person who has control, and access can only be granted where the person seeking access is given it by the owner or can successfully use the recovery options put in place by the creator/owner.
3. It's my Google Account but the email was academic/managed mail/run via Google Apps so why is it no longer available to me?  To which the answer is-  the email is kind of a Google Account already and is, therefore, owned by the supplier of the email address itself.  So get in touch with the owner of the email service and see if they can assist you to regain control of the Google Account, something which is unfortunately not a certainty.

8.  Security of a Google Account is vital.  Making use of the offered options to secure the Google Account has become increasingly important as Google Accounts and their assets have become valuable commodities in the digital age.  A monetised YouTube channel with a good number of subscribers or a viral video or two can be worth money to a hacker, and gaining control of a Gmail Google Account can have immeasurable impact if the Gmail is used for bank accounts and other valuable online activities.

In response Google have seriously ramped up security in early 2015 to the point that sometimes even genuine owners are locked out, perhaps because they didn't make use of the option to set recovery options, or maintain those they had.

The answer here is to seriously consider 2-step verification in order to prevent this from ever being an issue.  Read through the link and consider this-  you can set up recovery email addresses, you can set up access/recovery phone and printable codes so that only you, with the device and/or codes can gain access.  And you can get a U2F security key which adds an additional layer of security.  You can even set your device up to be the trusted one so that you don't have to use your security features every time you sign in.

Now-  I used to be wary of such things, careful to not give out my personal details online and steering clear of most anything which smacks of giving someone else control of my assets but having dealt with the consequences of outdated recovery options or none set in the first place, and how difficult it is to prove to Google that this doesn't mean that the users are not genuinely the owners-  I cannot stress this enough.

• Do not assume that the person you are sharing access to your Google Account with will not accidentally (or purposely) delete something which cannot be recovered once deleted.  Or lock you, the owner, out.  It is why Google deem Google Accounts to be owned by individuals, not groups of people.
• Do not trust in a third party email service to be safe, if that is the email address you use for, say, your website's public email.  Not naming names but a well-known email provider suffered serious security breaches which led to the Google Accounts secured only with those emails to be vulnerable and hacked en masse a couple of years ago.
• And do not rely on any security offered by Google if you don't also run malware/virus scans on your devices.   Remote access malware and trojans don't need to gain access-  they get in with you, as you sign in unaware of their presence.
• Never ignore alerts from Google about your Account security.  They are always important.  By all means question them (phishing is also an issue, which might contribute to some users ignoring important alerts) but then check with the Google help fora.
• Be vigilant and paranoid (but perhaps not quite so much where Google is concerned.  At least in regard to your assets with them) and don't use an email which is publicly known.

To Claim Or Not To Claim, Therein Lies The Vexation (or the one about Legacy Linking)

This is about legacy YouTube accounts, those which were created before May 2009 and which have not been linked to Google Accounts.  Which means that these legacy YouTube accounts cannot have been used sine 10th January 2011 as it became mandatory for all legacy YouTube accounts to be linked to Google Accounts in order to be sign in-able.

But first of all, in order to really get to grips with this topic we need to address what IS "legacy"?

The dictionary defines it as:

noun, plural legacies.

1.

Law. a gift of property, especially personal property, as money, by will; a bequest.

2.

anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor:

the legacy of ancient Rome.

3.

an applicant to or student at a school that was attended by his or her parent.

4.

Obsolete. the office, function, or commission of a legate.

adjective

5.

of or relating to old or outdated computer hardware, software, or data that, while still functional, does not work well with up-to-date systems.

For us the relevant bit is "obsolete" and relating to old site functionality which is not supported.

OK, now that I have that out of the way with-  YouTube channels which were created before May 2009 and which have not been linked to Google Accounts yet do exist, although they are increasingly rare.

Google have owned YouTube since late 2006, allowed the creation of YouTube accounts under the legacy system until May 2009 and thereafter ran two systems in tandem-  their YouTube channels on Google Accounts and legacy YouTube accounts not on Google Accounts.

Until, that is, the 11th of January 2011.  From that day onward Google have required that users with legacy YouTube accounts to link them to Google Accounts and use the same system as anyone who created their YouTube channel from May 2009 onward.

And then at the end of that year Google announced the purging of unclaimed legacy YouTube accounts.  But unclaimed legacy YouTube accounts were only those which were never actually used under any system, not even the legacy one.  These unclaimed legacy YouTube accounts had no uploads, no one had ever really signed into them at all.

By January 2012 there were only YouTube channels and non-linked legacy YouTube accounts which had uploads.

Signing in was possible with the custom URL (aka YouTube username) until 2013 when Google realised that the security risk of publicly known "usernames" was causing problems on a crazy scale and required everyone, even YouTubers, to use their Google Accounts' usernames, ie the email addresses these Google Accounts use.  Problems arose for YouTubers who didn't realise that they even had a Google Account involved and that it used the email address as its username.  This is not that important except to inform why this is such a problem for users:



This is the information about the Gaia linking process for those users who really do still have these rare non-linked legacy YouTube accounts which they need to know their legacy YouTube username for and the legacy YouTube password in order to use the Gaia link.

Because the information is outdated (it looks at the linking process from about three years ago) and misleading/confusing (it uses contradictory and conflicting terms) it causes problems for users with these rate non-linked legacy YouTube accounts.

The Gaia link just doesn't look like this anymore.

The current link itself is flawed because explain that if you don't have your legacy password (it is assumed you at least know your legacy YouTube username) you must know/be able to use the legacy email address as a Google Account's email address username.  And it has a completely useless link for loss of access as that is for a Google Account, not a legacy YouTube account.

I have made a video about my many issues with the Help Centre article which I have reported to Google time and time again.  I am hoping that it will be addressed as a matter of urgency.  The one incorrect bit of information about the Google Account to link to needing to not have a YouTube channel on it already has, I note, been removed.  But it is not enough-  the article needs to be rewritten from the bottom up.

How To Transfer A YouTube Channel From One Google Account To Another Google Account

This has been a vexing topic for too long.  Ever since Google introduced Google Accounts for YouTube channels in May 2009 YouTubers have struggled with understanding that YouTube channels are mere products on their Google Accounts, sort of extensions to enable Google Accounts to be used at YouTube and therefore (and quite obviously) cannot be moved to another Google Account.

This is a visual representation of the hierarchy many of us legacy YouTubers still don't "get":

This fact has meant that if someone created a YouTube channel on their Google Account and then wanted to give ownership of the YouTube channel to someone else, they had to consider giving their entire Google Account to that someone as that was the only way.  Think on it-  the YouTube is merely a functionality or "add-on" of the Google Account and so it is the Google Account you would need to hand over.

Where Google Account owners were using third party email and were not attached to other products/services on their Google Account-  not a problem.  Change the email to that of the new owner and Bob's your mother's brother.

But what if you had Google Apps or other Google services you could not afford to give up?  You were stuck.

Stuck, that is, until late Spring 2013.  That marked the period when Google+ was being offered to YouTubers in the form of Google+ Pages, a difficult and yet very helpful development if YouTubers were just to realise it.

Now-  I am not a lover of Google+, it is not a secret.  I will take down websites/forum presences I am not using because I do not like virtual waste and, to me, Google+ is not useful in a big enough way to merit it.  But even I will admit that it has its uses and this one is key to my appreciation of it.

Because now it is possible to move a YouTube channel's ownership from one Google Account to a different Google Account and do so as many times as you wish.  :D  GOOD news!

How?

By linking the YouTube channel to a Google+ Page; that's how!  To do this know your basic navigation tools at YouTube (see first image) and Google+ (see second image):

1. Sign into your YouTube channel's Google Account at YouTube,
2. Determine if you need to link to Google+ in the first place or if you already have a Google+ product (these come in two flavours-  personal Google+ Profile and non-personal Google+ Page) linked, then either-
3. Link to a Google+ Page using the "Link to Google+" option in your YouTube channel's YouTube settings and picking "business or other name" and not your Google profile name, or-
4. If you have your YouTube channel linked to your personal Google+ Profile and do not yet have a Google+ Page at all then create a new YouTube channel in YouTube settings using "see all your channels or create a new one" (don't worry- the YouTube channel is a means to an end and will be deleted in the next step.  We just want that Google+ Page it creates along with it) and then go to YouTube settings / Advanced to move the YouTube channel from your Google+ Profile to this new Google+ Page or the Google+ Page you already have using the link for this.  Note that you will be asked to confirm that it is OK to delete any YouTube channel already on that Google+ Page you are relinking to.  Check, to make sure.  Obviously with the new one you might just have created as per my instructions-  it is OK to delete.
5. Go to Google+, select the drop-down menu at the far left, select Pages (or All Pages), select Manage this page for the correct one, click on the cog near the top right to reveal drop-down, select Settings and in Settings click on the Managers tab.  Invite the "target" Google Account which is to become the new owner to be a manager by typing in their email address or their Google+ Profile name if known and sending the invite,
6. Sign in/get the owner to sign into the "target" Google Account and accept the invitation which can be done two ways, either by navigating to the Google+ Page to be made manager of and clicking on "Accept" in the banner at the top of the page, or by going to their mail services inbox (check spam if not visible) and accepting the invite from the email itself (note-  still need to be signed into the "target" Google Account for this to work without hassle),
7. Wait 24 hours,
8. Sign in as the YouTube channel's Google Account owner at Google+ (or at YouTube if you want to be sure), navigate to Pages (or All Pages) / Manage this page / Settings / Managers and transfer ownership by clicking on the small downward arrow by the manager's name on the right.

This completes the transfer.

Your "target" Google Account which was made manager but was upgraded to owner is now the owner of both the Google+ Page and the linked YouTube channel, leaving the original owner as manager.  The new owner can transfer ownership back immediately (handy if you made a mistake or change your mind) and can also remove the old owner from even being just a manager (which is what they become after transferring ownership away).

I have made two videos on the topic-  one longer and very explanatory as is my want:

The other a little more to the point (still with an unhealthy tendency to avoid shortcuts and making a huge deal about the use of Google+ links but at YouTube):

Thereafter it is possible for the new owner to move the YouTube channel from that Google+ Page to any other Google+ product on the same Google Account;  perfect for anyone who wants to use their Google+ Profile with the newly transferred YouTube channel or has a Google+ Page they'd prefer to use instead by using the same process described in 4. above, and here:

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Note:  if your YouTube channel's Google+ linkage is permanent then you cannot unlink your YouTube from Google+ despite the ability to transfer ownership or move between Google+ products.  Sorry.

Caveat:  Custom "/c/" URLs do not move with the YouTube channels using them.  They remain with the corresponding Google+ product which has the matching +URL.  Consider this carefully where the "/c/" URL is associated with a Google+ Profile as these cannot be moved (Google+ Profiles ARE the Google Accounts' public faces).