Not your average mouse (Ironmouse)
After having her account unexpectedly terminated last week, popular streamer Ironmouse’s YouTube channels have been restored – but why were they taken down?
While most streamers are all too keen to promote themselves to the world, in order to attract more viewers, some never actually appear on-screen and instead use digital avatars to conceal their identity.
These virtual entertainers are categorised as VTubers (aka virtual YouTuber) – a trend which originated from Japan. However, one of the most popular VTubers today is Ironmouse, a Puerto Rican-American streamer who has over 2.1 million followers on Twitch and 1.14 million subscribers on YouTube.
However, Ironmouse’s presence on YouTube abruptly ceased on Friday, with no explanation as to why her channel had been taken down.
‘Incredibly sad and shocked that my main YouTube channel has been terminated,’ she wrote on Twitter. ‘Right now I have a legal team working on things. I’m so sorry to inconvenience everyone who enjoys watching my videos. Hopefully this can get resolved soon.’
This comes after Ironmouse’s separate VOD (video on demand) YouTube channel for livestreams was deleted earlier this month. Both channels, however, have since been reinstated, as of Monday, September 23.
‘Crying even more now main channel is now back,’ she posted on Twitter, shortly after her VOD channel returned. ‘Thank you all so so much for all the incredible love and support and advice. This has been a very stressful time but I am so happy to be back, I love you guys thank you!’
Why were Ironmouse’s YouTube channels deleted?
YouTube has not released any statement clarifying the reason behind the termination, but the VTuber provided some insight into the situation when her VOD channel was taken offline earlier this month.
During a Twitch stream, Ironmouse said her YouTube account faced being deleted after receiving three copyright strikes in a row. YouTube policy requires people to submit personal information to a third party to have the channel restored, something Ironmouse wasn’t prepared to do.
‘Apparently my VOD channel got copystriked like three times in a row, so it’s going to get deleted because I don’t want to dispute it because I don’t wanna submit my personal information to whoever it is,’ they explained on Twitch. ‘So I think my VOD channel is going to be deleted.’
Although it’s unclear, it seems likely this was a planned strike from trolls in an attempt to discover Ironmouse’s identity. Or it could simply be a product of YouTube’s strict and notoriously inflexible policies.
Why does Ironmouse hide her identity?
Ironmouse suffers from common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and a lung condition called mycobacterium avium complex. This meant she had to be stuck indoors for years and hooked up to oxygen around the clock to prevent her from becoming more ill.
In an interview with Dexerto, Ironmouse cited their condition as the reason why she was ‘really nervous about showing myself’ online.
‘My situation was very strange because I’ve always been very extroverted, but because of how I have to live I’ve had to be introverted,’ Ironmouse said. ‘Humans are social creatures and they have to be able to communicate with other people.
‘I have these two conflicting things in me and VTubing helped me reconcile that. It’s offered me a lot of opportunities to learn how to socialise more and be more comfortable as myself and sharing myself with others.’
While Ironmouse initially hid her condition when she started streaming, she has been more open about the situation over recent years.
‘I just wanted people to want to hang out with me and spend time with me because they thought I was funny and see me for me and not get distracted by my medical situation,’ they added. ‘It’s complex. Anonymity is wonderful.’
Ironmouse’s YouTube channels are back in action (Ironmouse)
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
MORE : Twitch streamer Nadeshot saves friend’s life who was choking on a steak fajita
MORE : TimTheTatman, DrLupo and more rush back to Twitch as YouTube deals end
MORE : Twitch streamer goes viral after being banned for doing lewd Wikipedia speedrun
Sign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they’re seen on the site.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.