Update: Got my YouTube video reinstated after 3 strikes for "misinformation"

So I had a video about local zoning laws taken down last month. It was just me reading the actual city code out loud with my commentary. YouTube hit me with 3 strikes said it was "harmful misinformation." I tried their normal appeal form and got nothing back for 2 weeks. Then a buddy told me to file a complaint with the EU's Digital Services Act because I live in Germany. I did it through their official portal and my video was back up in 4 days. All 3 strikes removed too. Makes me wonder how many people just give up after the first rejection. Has anyone else tried the DSA route for a platform takedown and actually got results?

2 comments

2 Comments

mark67621d ago

Saw a thread on Reddit where a guy got his whole channel back that way.

dakota_singh3921d ago

Oh yeah, "harmful misinformation" for reading city code out loud, that's the same nonsense they pulled on me. I had a video about how my local library district collects tax money, just me holding up copies of the budget report, and bam, three strikes. I tried the appeal thing too, got nowhere. Then I remembered that Reddit thread @mark676 was talking about, the one about the DSA. I don't live in Germany but I'm in the Netherlands, so I filed a DSA complaint through the Dutch regulator's website. My video was back in like 5 days, all strikes cleared. It's wild how YouTube just auto-flags stuff without looking at it, and the DSA is the only thing that actually gets their attention. More people need to know about this because I bet a ton of creators just take the strikes and move on.