Markiplier calls out YouTube after hundreds of fans are banned

Olivia Richman Published 10/11/2019

“YouTube has a huge problem right now. People’s accounts are being suspended without reason, and appeal to get it back are being denied without explanation.”

That was famous YouTuber Mark “Markiplier” Fischbac’s call to action in a recent video entitled “YouTube has a huge problem.” The video, uploaded on November 8, already has over 2.6 million views.

Two days ago, Markiplier was livestreaming an interactive special, “A Heist with Markiplier,” where his fans could pick which directions and choices he made. They would do this by using certain color emojis to support their choice.

But an hour and a half into the livestream, Markiplier noticed that many of his followers were getting their accounts suspended for spamming emojis. He warned them to stop, but it was already too late for hundreds of people. They not only had their YouTube accounts suspended, but lost their entire Google account.

Some of Markiplier’s moderators began collecting screenshots of followers who had appealed to YouTube, only to receive a generic reply that their account was going to continue being suspended “based on community guidelines and terms of service.” There was no further explanation given to any of his fans.

In response, some of his followers begged for further explanation on YouTube, only to be told that “appeals are carefully reviewed” and there was nothing YouTube could do for them at this point.

By this point, Markiplier was livid. With almost 25 million followers, the YouTuber has a large community on the video streaming platform. Markiplier felt like this was a senseless attack on his fans, something that got him “pissed off.”

With help from his moderators, Markiplier collected people’s names and their account information. In his recent video, he asked for others to step forward and give him their information, too. Markiplier claims he’s been in contact with YouTube, but nothing had been done at the time of the video upload. He then posted the video in an attempt to get YouTube’s attention.

“People are losing their videos they made. Their history. Their memberships they have paid money for. People who have been a member on my channel for over a year are losing their accounts,” he ranted. “It’s so unbelievably frustrating. I hope that this is getting fixed.”

Markiplier also noted that YouTube has been inconsistent with their suspensions, which proves their automated system isn’t working as designed or up to community expectations. He claimed that some people who “post dicks in live chat all the time” don’t get punished, yet his “most dedicated fans are getting their whole acount suspended.”

“That really sucks and that really pisses me off,” he said.

YouTube responds to Markiplier’s video

Markiplier shared a link to his video on Twitter, adding the caption, “There’s a big problem that you have to address NOW.” The YouTuber then tagged YouTube’s official “update and answers” team account.

Last night, YouTube finally responded.

“Hi Mark – Apologies this happened and thanks for bringing it to our attention. The accounts have been reinstated and we’re looking into why the appeals were denied and how we can prevent this in the future,” they told him.

Markiplier replied that he “appreciated the update” but felt there were still a lot of ongoing issues. Some accounts were still not reinstated, while other unsuspended accounts are now missing videos. He also noted that fans could receive similar punishments in future events.

“Why were they banned in the first place?” he asked.

One of Markiplier’s mods admitted that many of his fans are now scared to even write in his chats, worried that their accounts will be suspended. This was a concern that Markiplier had brought up in his video, too. He showed comments of fans saying they would be weary of commenting if they got their acounts back, which made Markiplier release a pained sigh.

“We’re continuing to investigate,” YouTube continued. “We just opened a DM with one of your mods to get more information on any accounts that are still suspended. Someone on our team will follow up with you when we have more information.”

This still didn’t sit well with fans, who continued to say that YouTube was an untrustworthy platform. Since then, there’s been no further updates from YouTube or Markiplier.

“Hopefully we will get through this together,” Markiplier concluded in his recent video. He then urged streamers and YouTube users to not even use emojis at all, in hopes of avoiding future supensions.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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