Tell HN: Locked out of Google account – 63K subscriber YouTube channel

1 day ago 2

I'm reaching out to the HN community for help. On October 23, 2025, my Google account ([email protected]) was disabled citing Terms of Service violation. I believe this is a false positive from automated scanning.

Background: - Account age: [X] years - 63K subscriber YouTube channel (youtube.com/c/jamespelton) - my livelihood - SaaS founder and church content creator - Cannot access appeal due to phone verification loop - Received 48-hour delay message but Drive shows 'Terms of Service violation'

This account contains my entire business, years of content, church ministry work. Appeals submitted but facing automated rejection loop.

Has anyone successfully recovered from Google's phone verification loop? Are there any Google employees who can advise on proper escalation for what appears to be a false positive?

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