YouTube Restores Channel Removed for ‘Spam and Scams’ Following Open Net’s Request for Review

A YouTube channel named “CherryTube” was removed on November 5, 2025, for alleged violations of the platform’s “spam, deceptive practices, and scams” policy. However, the channel was reinstated on February 4, 2026, after it was confirmed that no such violations had occurred.

CherryTube stated that despite operating the channel for approximately six years without major issues, it was abruptly removed without a clear explanation of the grounds for the decision. The channel operator also noted that they did not receive a satisfactory response through YouTube’s appeal process, and subsequently sought assistance from Open Net Korea.

The operator of the channel argued that it was difficult to accept YouTube’s determination that a channel with approximately 210,000 subscribers had been engaged in spam or scam-related activities. He further suggested that the channel may have been removed in a mechanical manner without substantive review, following a surge of reports targeting specific videos. CherryTube has primarily produced content on military and defense industry topics. In particular, after publishing videos addressing the development of the KF-21 fighter jet and the issue of delayed financial contributions by the Indonesian government, the channel reportedly received numerous complaints and messages from Indonesian users indicating intentions to report the content. CherryTube raised the possibility that such mass reporting may have influenced the channel’s removal.

Open Net found that these concerns warranted further review and requested that YouTube reassess its decision to remove the channel. In response, YouTube informed Open Net on February 4, 2026, that it had confirmed CherryTube did not violate its “spam, deceptive practices, and scams” policy and restored the channel. However, YouTube did not provide any explanation regarding how the erroneous removal decision had been made.

Korean Version Text