YouTube is now offering a third level of privacy for users to implement on their videos, one that makes it easier to share clips privately without actually having to set the video to private.

The new "unlisted" option lets anyone with a link to the video watch it, however it won't show up in YouTube's search results, channels pages, or on user profiles. And unlike YouTube's current private video option, the user who created unlisted video doesn't need to set up permissions for who can watch his or her video, just like the watcher does not need to be registered with YouTube to watch it. Instead, all the viewer needs is the URL.

The feature should grease the wheels on private sharing with members who are not signed up with YouTube. However, there's still plenty of value in YouTube's private setting, which lets you cut someone off from having access if they abuse it. With the new unlisted option there's no way to do that, as anyone who has the URL can watch it freely.

More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20004804-248.html