A YouTube system error resulted in the unintended banning of several channels, with creators receiving notifications that their accounts had been removed due to “Spam & Deceptive Practices.” YouTube has since issued an apology and is working to resolve the issue, though the company has not disclosed the reason behind the bans, leaving creators to suspect an issue with the platform’s automation.
“Hi Creators – We’re aware of a problem causing some channels to be wrongly flagged for spam and removed. Our teams are investigating and restoring the channels as we speak. Thank you for your patience.”
On Thursday night, YouTube addressed the issue on X, stating that some channels were mistakenly flagged for spam and removed. The company confirmed it was investigating the problem and working to restore the affected channels. Later that evening, YouTube provided another update, noting that while it was still in the process of reinstating the channels, other content like playlists might also experience delays.
As of Friday morning, the company had not shared any further updates, suggesting the issue had not been fully resolved.
YouTube updated its X account on Friday afternoon, announcing that the problem has been resolved.
“Happy to report that all channels and most videos that were incorrectly removed have been reinstated, and subscriptions are restored (we’re still working on the last few, bear with us!). We know this caused some disruption, and we truly appreciate your patience while we sort this out.”
However, YouTube’s posts offered no explanation for how the issue occurred, nor did they acknowledge the full scale of the problem, though the latest update suggests the company is aware of the extent.
Reports from creators on social media indicated the problem was significant and widespread. YouTube’s posts received hundreds of replies from creators and fans asking for channels to be restored. Some creators also reported missing files or complained that their attempts to change settings or contact support had gone unanswered. Similarly, YouTube’s Help site received hundreds of responses, but no further explanation was provided.
While the main concern has been for creators, since losing their channels affects their income, some YouTube Premium subscribers also reported losing access, even though they don’t post videos or haven’t in years. This meant they couldn’t use their Premium subscription or stream through YouTube Music.
The issue shows how problems can arise when different services, like YouTube, YouTube Music, and YouTube Premium, are all connected. A mistaken spam takedown caused people to lose access not only to their channels but also to their paid subscriptions.
YouTube posted on its Help site, saying it was working to restore subscriptions and removed channels, and apologized for the error.
When asked for more details, including the scale and cause of the issue, YouTube only referred back to its posts on X as of Friday afternoon.