More than 20 Kurdish YouTube channels in the Kurdistan Region, shut down last month due to YouTube’s “linked channels” policy, have now been restored after widespread backlash. The reversal has brought relief to creators who lost both their income and their audiences overnight.
The controversy began when one channel received a third copyright strike for posting a Rubik’s cube tutorial. YouTube then terminated every other channel connected through the same AdSense account — despite those creators having no copyright violations of their own. Together, the accounts represented a community of over two million subscribers.
The mass shutdown was seen as a major disaster by Kurdish content creators. Mabast Bahaadin, known as Mabast King, played a central role in appealing the decision and has confirmed that all the affected channels have now been reinstated.
Ahmad Aziz, a YouTuber better known as Mr Shko, said the incident was a ‘big disaster for Kurdish YouTubers’ but gave thanks to all those who helped in the recovery — especially Mabast King — for leading the efforts.
YouTube’s policy allows it to terminate “linked” channels, but this case has highlighted the disproportionate impact of the rule. While the community is celebrating the return of their accounts, the ordeal has underscored the vulnerability of creators whose livelihoods depend on a single platform.
