A raft of popular Pokémon GO YouTubers – including Marksman, Mystic7 and Trainer Tips – received accidental bans yesterday and were locked out of their Google accounts after being informed that their family-friendly content contained prohibited material.
Account owners were informed via a stock response that their videos contravened YouTube's guidelines and were given no further information. Speaking to the BBC, YouTuber Billiam Thies said that his Google account was also deleted, leaving him unable to rectify the problem or find out the exact cause.
After some general confusion and an outcry on social media, Google reinstated the blocked accounts and admitted they had been banned mistakenly. The company hasn't divulged the exact reason for the flagging error, although there's speculation that it's to do with an overzealous algorithm hunting elicit content and mistaking harmless, common abbreviations in Pokémon GO and other clips (including archived Club Penguin videos) for very serious material.
Owners were swiftly reunited with their accounts once Google realised the error, and it's good to know the company is taking active measures to protect users of all ages from the very unsavoury, darker parts of the internet. However, in a world where more than ever judgements are made after reading only a sensationalist headline, accusations like this can cause serious damage online, regardless of intent.
We'd imagine the above-mentioned YouTubers will get on just fine now this has blown over, and we'd hope that any smaller content creators affected don't suffer any long term consequences thanks to this error.
What are your thoughts? Better to be safe than sorry and let the bots flag every tiny thing? Do you think any YouTubers will suffer from this obvious mistake in the long term? Let us know what you think below.
[source bbc.com]
Comments 22
What abbreviations are these? The only thing I can think of in the game itself is EX. I also know a lot of players use the abbreviation DPS
@ALinkttPresent
It concerns the Combat Points features in Pokémon Go, which is also why Club Penguin content was affected.
Yes they have their accounts back but the damage is done sadly
Youtube really needs to get it's bots fixed, and soon.
@MysticGengar It really goes to show you, SkyNet is still a long way off.
@bluemujika What do you mean? The AI seems perfect for SkyNet.. a General types in "kill humongous bugs" & the AI registers "kill human".
Oh, poor "Popular Pokemon GO YouTubers", I feel so sorry for them.
Pokémon Go Youtubers are a thing? How do they keep that interesting?
"Hey guys It's day 50, I just caught another 12 Spearows - remember to like and subscribe!"
...no thanks
@Kimyonaakuma
You'd be surprised, there's all sorts of speculation and anticipation for upcoming events, releases, and new features.
Right now it's all about Smeargle.
@Kimyonaakuma Considering how the Pokemon fanbase has in their midst people willing to spend dozens, if not hundreds, of hours watching other people hunt/breed for Pokemon in different colours (which on its own is probably the least exciting thing to do in any RPG ever), existence of Pokemon GO Youtubers is hardly surprising, but nonetheless depressing.
Youtubers copyright claim by Nintendo. Google why banned Account for some reason?.
Youtube is falling down falling down...... They need to stop screwing up so many things. Sometimes they should manage Youtube as not just a Business, but something else too...... like get rid of the bots and hire 100,000s of Moderators heheheh (and something else again too).
Ah, how I do like good old-fashioned Cheese Pizza!
HUMBUG OF A USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST
USER WAS BANNED FOR IMPERSONATING A ROBO-MODERATOR
USER WAS BANNED FOR GETTING WAY TOO META
USER WAS BANNED FOR CONDONING PINEAPPLE ON PIZZA
@RupeeClock
Errr, English is not my first language.
Can you explain me why 'CP' is taken as sexual content please?
@RandomLeo00 I think it's racist, not sexual. The robot probably isn't good at determining reason for ban (especially when there actually isn't one)
@RandomLeo00 Usually the material showing minors is called "C____ P__________." I don't know why on Earth Niantic chose "Combat Points" when this has been prevalent in the internet middle- and under-ground for many, many years.
@Preposterous @RupeeClock I didn't realise people were THAT obsessed.
...but I guess everyone has their own interests, I just don't get why there's a need for it. Not that it's really my business - good for them for enjoying it
This is almost Tumblr level of screw up...
When Tumblr decided hate ideology was okay but "female presenting nipples" weren't they set up an automated system that was mass blocking thousands of posts. As it turned out anything remotely the same color as nipples and skin was getting banned. Leading to food blogs, PG cartoon blogs, anime blogs, and all sorts of obviously not-porn blogs getting shut down.
Though unlike Tumblr, at least YouTube has fixed the issue. Tumblr is still ruined.
And so it begins. Today, it's accidental bans, tomorrow accidental shooting, next week accidental death sentence, next month accidental nuclear strike.
AI is gonna kill us all, because humans are incredible idiots who have no idea what they are doing.
I have never seen "popular" go with "Pokemon Go Youtuber"
It took me a second to figure out that there is a very obvious abbreviation that should never be used for step counters...
Heh.
@ALinkttPresent CP, for Community Points
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