Imagine waking up to find your 15-year-old YouTube channel—your business’s lifeline—gone without a trace. That’s exactly what happened to Artemiy Pavlov, the founder of Sinesvibes, a music software brand. On Monday, YouTube deleted his channel, citing “spam and deceptive practices” as the reason. The kicker? Pavlov had never received a single warning or strike in over a decade of posting original content.

“What a ‘nice’ way to start a week!” Pavlov shared on Bluesky. His channel, which featured demos of his own software, was suddenly wiped out, leaving him baffled. “We have nothing to hide,” he told reporters, calling the removal a “terrible, terrible day” for his independent brand.

The story doesn’t end there, though. Shortly after Pavlov’s case caught attention, YouTube reinstated his channel within hours—a surprisingly quick turnaround, given that appeals can often take days or weeks. A YouTube spokesperson confirmed the restoration was part of the regular appeals process, hinting that the removal might have been an error.

But for small businesses like Sinesvibes, even a few hours offline can spell disaster. Pavlov spent the day scrambling to fix broken links to product pages and worrying about the long-term impact on his brand. Even with the channel back up, the lack of explanation leaves a lingering sense of uncertainty.

Pavlov’s experience highlights the risks of relying too heavily on automated moderation. He’s now calling for more human oversight to prevent similar mix-ups in the future. For small creators, the stakes are high—and a single glitch in the system can have lasting consequences.