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From the moment Google (GOOG) bought YouTube, it was never an issue of if they were going to start filtering video content, but when. It seems that the moment is about to arrive as sources are saying that Google is about to implement steps to deal with the problem.

Google will be using technology from Audible Magic to take care of the job. The company is being used by MySpace (NWS-A), Grouper (SNE) and other media companies to filter content uploaded to their sites.

Some are already acting like this will spell doom for the site, but I'm not so sure it will.

Now the reason I said that the issue of filtering wasn't ever in doubt with YouTube is because it is now part of a publically owned firm in Google. Once it was bought out, the rules of the game are completely different than a privately held company. It is now required that Google turn it into a profit-making business. Shareholders will demand it, and they aren't going to wait forever for it to happen.

Concerning the results to YouTube, the reason I don't think it will necessarily spell doom for the company is because the demographic has changed tremendously from the time it was bought by Google. The last I've heard was that the average age is now 35 years old for users. Far different than the original demographic's age.

This change the "underground" feel it has that said Jesse Drew, acting director of the technocultural studies program at University of California-Davis says it will lose: "YouTube is 'definitely going to lose popularity,'" said Jesse Drew, acting director of the technocultural studies program at University of California-Davis. 'These things become popular because they are underground and free and accessible."

Again, those are the types of issues that are important to a much younger crowd. It may be true that there may be a flight of younger people from the site, but I think that probably has already happened with those wanting to hang out with a younger group of people.

Another part of the equation is that once the bigger sites are filtering content, there probably won't be a lot of incentive for media companies to put up with smaller sites that don't deal with the "piracy" problem. Those are the ones the big companies go after strong, or if they're small enough, ignore.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently said that filtering technology is on the top of the list of the company's major priorities. He added that "It is going to roll out very soon."

The new challenge is for the company to develop a complete database of audio for television shows and movies, as of now they are incomplete. Fingerprinting can only be done with access to all the content.