Bitcoin Forum

The well known crypto information channel had been taken down at around the same time as tone vays youtube channel was over the weekend.
He was one of two who received the notice from the video streaming platform but have since had their channel reinstated by going through the same process tone vays did by going to twitter for voicing to their fan base in support of their favorite crypto youtuber Ben from btc sessions.
He posted a video right after his appeal was heard and retracted almost immediately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGHojpGofBI

I think the algorithm youtube is using has targeted these particular accounts due to the subject matter they are streaming about. One being cryptocurrency and two the word scam in some of their videos. ::)
https://i.ibb.co/rtwNypD/Clipboard021.jpg (https://ibb.co/VNq5BCf)
https://twitter.com/BTCsessions/status/1251067820852428800
He had stated in the above video he had helped retrieve money from a scammer and gave it charity but this was over a year ago.
So I dont know why their algorithm is reaching so far back in their investigation process.
https://i.ibb.co/7Xg1Zk9/Clipboard02211.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)
https://twitter.com/BTCsessions/status/1251185902275031040

So ben did do a test stream the next day. Here is how that went after the ban was lifted. :D
https://twitter.com/BTCsessions/status/1251352982886600705

Looking at the sequence of events i do not think that their algorithm is targeting these accounts, even i was seeing many complaints regarding crypto channels getting their account suspended and then getting reinstated, there is another possibility for the bans, if some group is targeting these channels and if youtube get mass reports regarding a certain channel then they will suspend the channel default and unless we hear a clear response for the termination from them we can only speculate. I do not think that they retracted because of the fans protesting because they know clearly that if a channel who has a decent following is taken down, they will protest.

It's really sad seeing giant social medias such as YouTube ban crypto related channel, it's sending out a bad message to the outside world about how not to trust this space cause most people already have doubts about cryptocurrency so when they see giants companies banning crypto related contents, it's solidify their mindset about not trusting this space. I think the crypto world needs to empower one of our own contents platform so that we won't get shut out completely from posting crypto related contents across these platforms one day

^^
I dont know really but this tweet from a fan put it quite on the spot of what everybody who has a channel discussing crypto thinks of how youtube handles their streamers.
https://i.ibb.co/g3Dvd0H/Clipboard031.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)

I personally don't care about any crypto youtubers, so many of them are actually promoting scams or just giving poor advice, they are the same as those low-quality Medium bloggers or crypto news sites writers. If youtube banned Andreas Antonopoulos, then I'd be quite frustrated, but as long as it's some nonames, I'm not going to grab a pitchfork.

And if these crypto guys are so cool, why don't they move to some decentralized video hosting service? They talk about crypto and blockchain, yet they still choose to stick with the centralized platform, because that's where the money is.

i think it is initially done based on the reports these videos receive then based on their subject. and considering the fact that all the youtube videos i have seen removed or the accounts that i have seen suspended were either promoting some sort of scam or have been misleading people with their "market analysis" which was basically drawing random lines on charts, i  say the removal is well deserved unless proven otherwise.

The algorithm is never wrong and it only follows what the creator has programmed. This YouTube channel has been reported by many haters for the same reason and more specifically this is a channel talking about cryptocurrency. Although I don't work much on youtube, I know that YouTube doesn't support media channels like this. maybe that's the main reason for banning his channel this time.
but anyway I support this action of youtube, there have been too many scam ICO projects and too many people have lost money. YouTube just wants people to have a safe, entertaining environment to enjoy it.

I was thinking about moving from Youtube to LBRY because the revenue is much better. DTube is another option. I'm a crypto Youtuber myself and I don't make money in any of my videos because of my ineligibility to be a Youtube partner, but I got deeply concerned on how they handled accounts like this. I still don't forget about the first series of Youtube incidents that a lot of crypto Youtubers having their channels banned (but was reinstated afterwards). Youtube is a centralised video sharing platform, so we don't have some sort of freedom here.

I'm surprised that a lot of people are not yet taking LBRY or DTube seriously. However, they do have limits like we cannot upload videos more than 1 GB. I've uploaded a video on Youtube recently about my webinar replay that is over 2 hours of interview and almost 8 GB. This is the only downside of decentralized video platforms for now if uploading to their server directly than syncing Youtube videos.

Migrating to another platform is not as easy as it sounds. You need audience to make money, Youtube has the biggest audience, the rest of them, probably not that many. On top of that, saying most of them are scammers doesn't give you the right to randomly issue a ban just because they post a vid talking about crypto or scam.

Defining a problem exist when it affects your favorites while ignoring it if it happens to 'nobody' is just weird imo.


If that were true, why they remove the ban? Don't think Youtube is a god. They make mistakes here and there. This is not the first case, and probably there will be more. I don't know this guy but some of my favorites channels got the same troubles, from their copyright systems that is so fucked up.

I don't think that the Youtube algorithm has something to do with this.
I guess that this guy has some competitors or enemies that are mass reporting his videos(maybe the scammer that he retrieved the money from wants vengeance).
It's good to know that he had his Youtube channel back after going thru the process.
If Youtube recovers crypto related channels,this means that they have nothing against crypto content and they aren't mass banning cryptocurrency related channels and videos.

Why does Youtube do this? After all, it is obvious that this will only lead to dissatisfaction with the crypto community

I think I know this guy here, He is banned? I wonder what's going on with youtube nowadays. He can be not teaching unnecessary things or something that will break the youtube's rules and regulations cause he was doing this for years now. His channel is one of the channel that I recommended in my thread. This will affect the crypto community on youtube, they need to be careful now cause they are being hunted one by one.

^^
Well the same happened to a bigger and more well known youtuber whose account was similarity flagged at the start of this purging of the cryptoinfluencers as I like to put it. ;D
https://i.ibb.co/pXfCp4n/Clipboard032.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)

We can all rant and rave at YouTube's policies, but the truth is we need YouTube more than they need us. Losing a few crypto-influencers means nothing in the grand scheme of things. YouTube have your habits, watch history, search history, basically your life. They know what to push infront of your eyes as alternative media. There's no stopping the Google/YouTube juggernaut.

Oh but there is. ;)
When somebody calls out their ceo on their misuse of their own policies to pick and choose who uses their platform. Which is against the law in the land of the free and home of the brave. ::)
https://i.ibb.co/QMfQgBL/Clipboard033.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)
This might fly in communist countries such as north korea with their own karen but with a company running in the united states under their corporate acts.
I highly doubt that. :-\

There are many things to consider in this difficult matter. For one, I agree that it seems unclear whether it's actually faulty algorithms or Youtube Policy at this moment because there've been too many incidents like this one lately. On the other hand, many crypto YouTubers are in the gray area. It seems to me that nobody actually got banned with a channel consisting of purely educational videos on Bitcoin, blockchain and stuff like that. Many crypto channels do reviews of quite shady projects or give advice (even though they say they don't) on trading and stuff. It's not an outright scam, but it's also not neutral. At the same time, however, there are always a ton of clearly scamming videos on Youtube but the algorithms are not dealing with them efficiently. Just type 'crypto giveaway' at any moment and see what you get on the first page...

I still don't know how youtube is handling this kind of stuff, I mean I don't know how they are probing with these channels and they find out that their contents are commercially deceptive or scamming in a way when these content creators are only saying what they have in their mind ,more likely their opinion and views towards the market. And yes, with this kind of news it will impact the market and the image of crypto will be at large. We'll be having a huge problem if this continue or if youtube really finds out that there is something wrong, at least with submission to legal terms, then it would be a huge blast for crypto.

Usually Youtube just warn the youtuber or remove the video that violates their guidelines. They rarely suspend accounts. It seems they have zero tolerance with crypto related content.
I agree with joniboini that migrating to other platforms will be very costly especially in terms of revenues and the number of subscribers. But is there any better alternative!

I don't agree with your statement that we need youtube more than he needs us. Youtube itself has been working on crypto ads for long times before decide to ban crypto channels.
The policy of youtube has been changed simultaniously with facebook banning crypto. It's clear that giants of ads [youtube/facebook] either want to curb the spreadness of cryptocurrencies as both of them has an alternative,Libra for facebook and google cards. Or they obey the policies applied by legal authorities which is still trying to maximum limit the existence/use of crypto.

Youtube has capabilities to automatically take actions against videos and channels by analyzing their content, for example it quickly demonetizes videos that feature swastikas or other nazi symbolic, just because in the past there were incidents when advertisers had their ads placed on some neonazi propaganda videos. So, technically Youtube can run something similar against crypto channels, but I doubt that they are doing that right now. Maybe they will do it in the future though, but it won't necessary mean that they will try to censor all of crypto.

Totally agree with you.
I saw so many people trying to shill their coins, while having 0 clue of their purposes.

In a few days ago, I read about Tone Vays channels has been deleted by Youtube, and now, I see crypto Youtuber BTCSessions, but I glad that they can get their account back after voicing in twitter with his fans. Perhaps, there is negotiating between Youtube and them, so Youtube opens their channel again, or Youtube already fixed the problem.

I don't think that is because of their algorithm, but perhaps, there is a code that needs to review by Youtube, so this will not happen in the future.

But if you read about Youtube reaction regard of banning the account on forbes.com.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2019/12/26/googles-youtube-goes-to-war-with-bitcoin-and-crypto-update/#3765efee1b63

Youtube said:


"With the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make the wrong call," a YouTube spokesman told crypto news site Decrypt. "When it's brought to our attention that a video has been removed mistakenly, we act quickly to reinstate it."

But we don't know if what Youtube said is true because I don't think they will tell the truth to the public. But we can hope that will not happen with other channels who provide crypto information to the public.

Someone should make a concerted attempt to migrate but we all know they'll fail. Centralisation = convenience. I'm not going to fire up some obscure client to watch one guy dribble on and no one else will either.

If my livelihood depended on staying in the good graces of one remote and mercurial entity I would certainly be nervous but that's how it has to be.

Youtube want to purge all crypto content

Though google is quite a tyrannical corp, it's more than likely it happened automatically, the service doesn't have enough people to manually check all the content. I wouldn't be surprised though, even if they knew they banned crypto channel, they wouldn't restore it if not for considerable fanbase

This is the only viable option of this entire thing which is going on.
As I had mentioned on a thread I made when this all started which I will reopen since one of them on the list I made of the crypto youtubers involved, are suing youtube in a blatant disregard to following their own rules catered to their own customers. >:(
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5241100.new#new

Agreed, while I do not really watch YouTube videos about cryptocurrencies if those content creators only wanted the truth out there then any platform regardless of the number of people using it would be good enough for their purposes, but they are trying to monetize their content and in that case there is no platform like YouTube so they do not really have any option but to try to remain in good graces with their algorithms.

However I keep thinking it is highly unlikely this is a mistake and most likely YouTube is trying to slowly but surely try to clean their platform from this type of content.

If they wanted it, then they would have done it, they could have easily banned all the big channels, the smaller ones would leave on their own due to the loss of revenue, and Youtube could even run their algorithms to automatically delete crypto videos. And nothing about it would have been illegal, because it's their platform and they can delete any content they want.

But they don't do any of that, because they are not anti-crypto.

It seems to me that with such a bad attitude towards content makers we should already move to a more free platform

This is one thing that is proven by the most prolific crypto promoter of bitconnect who has started their own blockchain program and just started shilling it 5 minutes ago. I just happened upon it when logging into youtube to see if I had message pop up on there. And there it was with 122 views within 3 minutes. ::)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O00ynAU9mSk
https://i.ibb.co/KFXSX7M/Clipboard01991.jpg (https://ibb.co/18LjLKD)
Notice the silver youtube award in the backround given to those who have over tens of thousands of subscriptions to their channel?
Now youtube should be banning these type of channels which are only used to promote projects which end up scamming their customers in the end and now promoting their own ponzi scheme. And if you say bitconnect was not a ponzi scheme and an outright scam, then I dont know what to say any further about your certain point of view on the situation youtube has put the crypto community on their platform. :-\

I remember hearing like months ago that most of the channels related to crypto currencies that got banned was a mistake. Their algorithm went rouge and started to flag contents that were talking about crypto currencies since that algorithm took them for ponzie promoter.
If I recall correctly, all those accounts were unbanned and their contents were restored. I wouldn't be surprised if they were just testing something and it went wrong, or was checking how the community would react if crypto related topics were removed from youtube (which made no sense?).

How do you even start it? If creators move first, they will have to endure huge loses until their audience comes, many of whom might never follows, and also creators' subscriber growth will be greatly reduced, because a decentralized platform will have a fraction of Youtube's users, and there won't be any sort of advanced algorithm that matches viewers with new creators.

And if the users move first, then again why would creators move to a minority platform if they can stay on Youtube and keep making more money.

Right now Youtube is an undisputed monopolist of mainstream video hosting, even centralized competitors are miles behind it, so what chance do the decentralized ones really have? I think they will keep being a small niche tool for people who need their exact properties like censorship resistance.

The scary part is that it doesn't give warning strikes like it usually does when you violate rules and regulations in Youtube.
Im worried that my favourite crypto youtubers gets ban because that's where i get some info about the Bitcoin price and also cryptocurrency news.

This is why I think someone needs to create a "Decentralized" video channel.  Wasn't THETA supposed to be working on something like that?

i almost forgot that youtube was also owned by the google company so youtube bans crypto accounts or vids then yeah but why on other google service such as playstore and chrome browser i can still see crypto apps and crypto ads    . 

i think maybe because people paid for it but not all   because its also possible to advertise for free and also possible to upload a game for free but infact the ad poster or game uploader are the ones that are getting paid for views  and downloads   .

It is because of channels which I have posted above your reply which blatantly promote and advertise known ponzi schemes which have given anything crypto related on youtube a bad name.
You know who that is right? :-\
Because obviously hatshepsut93 does not. They did not reply when I quoted their post about the smaller channels getting waved by to continue on with their habits of spreading crypto malware to the masses on their platform and actually thriving. :-[

The same way people migrate their stores off Ebay or Amazon into something under their own control. Build a following and then point them to the new location. You're guaranteed to lose 80-99% of people who can't be bothered but you might hang on to enough.

It beats being rubbed out by an algorithm.

How much money do crypto youtubers make through it? It's something I've never bothered to investigate.

Funny how none of the BSV channels are being removed....

Just a side note most or all of the above have been a target by a well known figure openly speaking about bout Tone on a number of occasions from the BSV side.

I wonder if they have anything to do with the removals I highly doubt youtube algo's just go bonkers and start removing channels that have for a long period of time been on the right side of youtube's rules.

What is more possible is someone creating a tool that auto flag's specific users content as soon as it's live then continues  to report older videos as harmful.

Something to think about anyway.

I hope the above channels can have manual reviews as many of them have been very helpful and give good advice to there viewers all apart from the above one in connection to the bitconnect he should be banned for life.

It could be related to the lawsuit Ripple have launched against Youtube for hosting videos using their name and the likeness of their chief penis to do giveaway cons. Since 'Ripple' and 'scam' fit together rather nicely in the mouth from whatever angle you take perhaps they have a bot that's gone mad.

YouTube is known for deleting/banning crypto videos and I think this happened based on reports and feedback from users that hates the channel.

The algorithm doesn't care about who you're, once you have a lot of negative feedbacks and reports. You get banned and appeal is very hard on YouTube, they don't respond except from the automated Q&A

IMO, some crypto YouTubers are only supporting sites that are simply a Ponzi, and I think that might be the reason his channel was removed from YouTube. If he is not really violating YouTube's community guidelines then he can appeal to unban his channel. There are plenty of cryptocurrency channels posting an instructional video but they weren't prohibited. As long as, it's informative and doesn't have a motive to promote Ponzi or HYIP, problems will not occur. YouTube's algorithm is a mess, there's a possibility that it might be a mistake and they should review the video.

Youtube admit before with the error on deleting post about cryptocurrency but if the youtube channel was reported by the haters then it must be a good reason. I don’t think Youtube is against to cryptocurrency again, we are growing and many social media already show their support to bitcoin and that is a good sign, something must be wrong on his channel.

That could be it, or it might not.  When you're dealing with YouTube, there's no telling exactly why your video(s) are removed.  Sometimes they seem to do it according to their whims, with no apparent reason that the average person would find rational.

I don't watch a lot of crypto vids, so this isn't excactly impacting me directly, but it sucks for a lot of people when Youtube starts doing this.  I had a feeling YT was just doing a dress rehearsal a few months ago when they were taking down crypto content (to gauge reaction), and I figured they wouldn't stop unless there was a major groundswell of opposition. 

All these are just conspiracy. Facebook and twitter did worse and now considering a share in the asset. These men are very active on twitter and share similar thought there and even extensive on youtube for video lesson lovers. I consider Tone Vays a matured speaker than in last 4 years, when he was lousy . I consider him conservative in crypto prediction than ever and he is long term maxima-list and investors, both in his project and others, he did a lot to attract by bitcoin give away in the early days on bitcoin. He is back on youtube and he is not the type that can be intimidated.

Could be because of the giveaways scams that happened several months and still happening on popular Youtube channels and they are very strict now and monitoring these Crypto channels anyway they do have a terms of service if there is really violation you be disable but if you don't have one and just a miscommunications it will be reinstated.

In the previous youtubers video I posted inregards to btcsessions losing access to his channel the owner of it named ben mentioned in the first few minutes this was his lively hood. So they do make quite a bit if a grown man from north america (canada to be more specific) can call what they make a living for them. As they would make more than $3500 per month for certain working a salary job. On average $21 /hr is normal for a north american salary.

I think that this is unfortunate. I heard that youtube is banning contents from the creators that uploads videos that have connection with cryptocurrencies. I hope they will stop on banning creator content just because of cryptocurrency. I think that they are banning them because of the violations in terms of service but I think that they just don't want to have that kind of contents in YouTube. I also think that it is connected to the incident that happen several months ago. If that is the case then it is unfair if the creator did nothing wrong. I hope that youtube will change its system because people only want to help others.

The notice told that he hasn't reviewed the Community Guidelines where he has spams, scams, and deceptive content. Probably, some may have been reporting his account many times and that Youtube examined his channel carefully. It's sad to think that Youtube or the people has been thinking Bitcoin is a scam. When in fact, they haven't seen proofs that is very real and very helpful for people like us. I just hope he'd retrieve his account, 'cause damn, 4 years or hard work isn't a joke.

Youtube developers need to do a proper job and build codes that only target violators and not this type of educator who try to make people understand subjects that are as technical as cryptocurrency. They should ban Youtubers who advise investors to buy new ICo, who promote coins to attract pumping and others not the ones into analysis and education.

Clear cut why they have had anything to do with crypto in their cross hairs.
Thanks alot garlinghouse! ::)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swMmbDiC8X8
I do not agree with chico crypto and do not like their channel but they were the only one who directly saw xrp's law suit as the main reason why youtube/google had been doing this to the crypto youtubers since then.

true, Banned treatment only occurs if the report from the reporter is correct...
little do I know that the youtube algorithm will process a report, then the youtube security will conduct an investigation of the report, if they find a serious violation then the reported youtube account will be banned.

^^^^
I think this youtuber is the only one who has a pretty successful number of subscribers to their channel pertaining to cryptocurrencies and not getting one of these letters from youtube. Only because he discusses it in a light tone and how it functions at times as a farce.
https://i.ibb.co/mGrPYzd/Clipboard0222.jpg (https://ibb.co/KXc8QyB)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFnpUNyutMA
At one time in this latest video he puts on a blindfold while doing his technical analyst of the bitcoin price. :D
Now this is what we all need in the cryptospace right now.
To not take each other so serious at times like this. :)

So I'm guessing the algorithm doesn't like the word cryptocurrency and scam being mentioned together in a video or what? Because I'm very sure there are videos that talk much about scam but they have not been removed from the YouTube platform. This has been something that is targeted at cryptocurrency YouTubers, because this is not the first time it is happening.

There has been a few channels that talks about cryptocurrency on YouTube that got their videos taken down, so this is not something new. And YouTube did apologize to all of them then and said that there is no way to recover those videos.

While watching tone vays, a crypto youtuber, yesterday they did mention why their channel was banned.
Youtube gave the reason of it being deemed as "Dangerous content" and then after review of the video which was reported, removed the ban and reopened their account for adding videos again. They mentioned after this their channel has since been put a flag so to show whoever or whatever audits his channel that it was given the "O.K" and cleared of it being banned from this report in the future. It does seem automated or why else would they put a flagged reminder to not just instantly ban his channel like what happened a month ago?

Google is definitely up to something. After all, it is unlikely that they do it for good reasons.