YouTube terminates Delhi slum-dweller’s page following overnight success, social media protests
YouTube has terminated the channel of a Delhi-based content creator named Mohammad Irfan shortly after it gained 70,000 subscribers in a single day. Supporters and the creator argue that the platform's automated systems made an error, as the channel allegedly followed all community guidelines.
Why it matters
The incident highlights growing concerns regarding the lack of transparency and human oversight in automated content moderation systems used by major tech platforms, which can disproportionately impact emerging creators.
Social media has erupted with pleas from users asking YouTube India to restore the account of Mohammad Irfan, a resident of a Delhi slum, whose channel gained a substantial following overnight before being taken down by the video-hosting platform.
While YouTube has not yet issued any official clarification, attempts to access Mr. Irfan’s page, Main Irfan , display a message stating that “this account has been terminated for violating Google’s Terms of Service”.
Mr. Irfan also took to X, saying the termination was “some kind of mistake” and urging the platform to to rectify it.
“My channel was completely new, and I have honestly followed all of YouTube’s guidelines,” Mr. Irfan said in his post on X. “People really liked my content, which is why my subscribers increased. It seems like there was a mistake by your automatic system. Please review my channel again and restore it.”
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