YouTube’s selection process overreacted to these harmless Pokémon GO videos. Two channels were deleted because YouTube misunderstood the competition points.
What happened? Over the weekend, two of the largest YouTubers lost access to the platform. The channels Mystic7 (currently about 1.7 million subscribers) and Trainer Tips (currently about 830,000 subscribers) were suddenly suspended on Sunday, February 17. No one could explain this, as the operators are known for producing family-friendly content.
YouTube accused them of producing sexual content.
How long were they banned? The two channel operators Brandon Martyn (Mystic7) and Nick Oyzon (Trainer Tips) contacted YouTube and requested that their bans on the platform be reviewed again. Later that day, the users regained access to their channels.
What was the reason for the ban? YouTube recognized the term “CP” in the titles of the Pokémon YouTubers. CP stands for Combat Points in Pokémon GO, which is the competition points (WP) in German.
However, CP is also an abbreviation for “Child Porn” on the internet. Here, the YouTube algorithm misinterpreted CP and quickly shut down the channels. YouTube does not tolerate such content. One of the titles of an affected video reads:
“HIGHEST CP POKEMON YET IN POKEMON GO! Wild Dragonite! How Much CP Will it Be?”
Another video is titled: “How to Get Stronger Pokémon with High IVs/CP in Pokémon GO”
In a video, Mystic7 explains why YouTube banned him. He first received a warning for an actually harmless video. This caused confusion for him. After all, the contents of his videos are aimed at all age groups. Shortly after that, there were two “strikes” for another video. The reason: “Sexual content”.
In an email from YouTube regarding the bans to Mystic7 and Trainer Tips, it states:
YouTube is not the place for nudity or sexually provocative content. Sexual content related to minors is particularly critical. YouTube prohibits uploading, commenting, or engaging in any activities that sexualize minors.
Nick from Trainer Tips emphasizes in his tweet again that CP stands for Combat Points. He is also in favor of taking action against inappropriate content. However, YouTube’s algorithm should consider the context and not just ban channels outright.
What does YouTube say about this? A spokesperson for YouTube explained to Polygon that the channels of the YouTubers were mistakenly taken offline. It is said that with the enormous volume of videos on YouTube, mistakes sometimes happen. However, they give uploaders the opportunity to appeal the decision.
What the YouTubers criticize: During the time their channels were unreachable, they could not earn money. Those who do this professionally and rely on income must depend on an algorithm that can block channels without context.
Nick from Trainer Tips explicitly wishes for: Manual review by a human before channels are simply closed.
In the past, there were reportedly also problems with the abbreviation CP. As Nick Oyzon explains in one of his videos, wrestling videos also had issues. They used CP in the title as an abbreviation for the wrestler CM Punk. Channels for Club Penguin also used the abbreviation CP and were subsequently deleted.
Now the two trainers are probably also curious about what is hidden behind the new loading screen with Farb-eagle. Here’s an insight:
