YouTube recently faced a glitch that mistakenly banned several channels, leaving many creators in a lurch. They were told their accounts were removed due to “Spam & Deceptive Practices.” YouTube has since apologized and is working to fix the issue, but the reasons behind the bans remain a mystery, leading many to suspect that automated systems might be at fault.
On their social media platform, YouTube acknowledged the mix-up, stating they were dealing with channels being wrongly flagged and removed. They assured users that they were working on restoring those accounts. However, by later that night, they shared that while they were making progress, some content like playlists might still be experiencing delays.
As of Friday morning, YouTube hadn’t posted further updates, leaving many worried that the situation wasn’t entirely resolved.
Fortunately, by Friday afternoon, YouTube provided an update stating that the issue had been resolved.
However, they still haven’t explained how such a major issue happened or acknowledged its wide-reaching impact, even though it seems they recognize its seriousness.
Reports from creators on social media indicated the scale of the problem, with countless users expressing their concerns about channels that needed to be restored. Some creators mentioned that their files were missing and that they faced issues when trying to reach out for help. YouTube’s Help site also saw a surge of comments, but none provided additional clarity on the situation.
While content creators were most affected since their livelihoods rely on their channels, some YouTube Premium subscribers found themselves unexpectedly locked out of their subscriptions, even though they aren’t creators. This meant they couldn’t access their paid benefits, including YouTube Music.
This incident highlights the problems that can arise when multiple services are interconnected. A false spam flag not only affected creators’ channels but also disrupted the services that many users rely on and pay for.
YouTube’s notice on its Help site explained they were actively working on restoring access to subscriptions and removed channels. “We deeply apologize for this error on our part, and we’ll follow up here when it’s all sorted out,” they said.
When TechCrunch reached out for more details, they only pointed us back to their official posts on social media, leaving many questions unanswered.
Originally published on 10/4/24 at 10:52 AM ET; updated with additional context on 10/4/24 at 4:55 PM ET.
