YouTube deletes Windows 11 bypass tutorial over 'serious harm or death' risk

A YouTuber is facing channel deletion after posting videos showcasing how to bypass Windows 11's mandatory Microsoft Account, and hardware requirements.

YouTube deletes Windows 11 bypass tutorial over 'serious harm or death' risk
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Tech and Science Editor
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1 minute & 30 seconds read time
TL;DR: Microsoft ended Windows 10 support, prompting users to upgrade to Windows 11, which demands higher hardware and a Microsoft Account with internet access. CyberCPU Tech demonstrated ways to bypass these requirements, but YouTube removed the videos, likely due to Microsoft's influence, citing violations of harmful content policies.

Microsoft officially severed ties with Windows 10 earlier this month, leaving hundreds of millions of PCs around the world to decide whether to upgrade to Windows 11 or pay Microsoft for continued security updates on Windows 10.

For those looking to make the jump over to Windows 11, that might require some hardware upgrades, as Windows 11 has higher hardware requirements than its predecessor operating system. Notably, some users hesitant to make the jump to Windows 11 are wary of the increasing difficulty to get into the operating system without a Microsoft Account and an internet connection, along with the myriad of additional Microsoft software commonly referred to as Windows Bloat.

However, there are tools to get around this when setting up a PC for the first time, and technology channel CyberCPU Tech has demonstrated how users making the leap to Windows 11 can set up the operating system without an internet connection or a Microsoft Account. However, that channel has now been targeted by YouTube, with the video being taken down.

Initially, Rich, the creator of the video, believed the video was taken down by YouTube's AI algorithm, shrugging off the theory that Microsoft was behind the take-down, but then he made a new video showcasing how a user can circumvent Microsoft's system requirements for Windows 11, and that video was also removed. Rich stated in the above video that he now believes Microsoft is behind the take-down of both of his videos, and that all communication he has had with YouTube has been with an AI, and not a human YouTube representative.

The message that YouTube sent to Rich regarding his community strike against his channel states, "Again, the warning strike you received was issued based on violation of Harmful or Dangerous Content which prohibits content that encourages or promotes dangerous behavior that encourages dangerous or illegal activities that risk serious physical harm or death."