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Bankless Crypto Channel Banned From YouTube
One of the most popular Ethereum-focused newsletters and podcasts said its account was terminated without warning or justification.
Updated May 11, 2023, 5:41 p.m. Published May 8, 2022, 4:40 p.m.
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Bankless, which claimed 150,000 subscribers to its Ethereum-focused newsletter and podcast, channel on YouTube, said it had been banned from the social media platform without warning or justification. YouTube restored service a few hours later.
- The channel, which boasted more than 10,000 hours of content and featured people as notable as Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, said in a tweet its account had been terminated.
🚨🚨🚨
— Bankless (@BanklessHQ) May 8, 2022
The Bankless @YouTube account 'has been terminated'
🪓
No warning.
No notification.
No justification
150,000 subs
10,000+ hours of content
Hey @YouTube, our community would like a word!
RETWEET to let YouTube hear you: It’s not okay to ban crypto content pic.twitter.com/MJQ4MGwtYD
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- Attempting to click through to the channel yields a notice saying "This page isn't available."
- Bankless isn't alone. Other educational web 3 crypto accounts such as Gabriel Haines.eth and the Optimism Collective were shut down as well.
It seems that @YouTube (@Google) has banned educational web3 accounts on YouTube including @BanklessHQ, @gabrielhaines and @optimismPBC deleting their content and ability to share information with their audiences. We all need to switch to web3 social to keep our freedom of speech
— Stani.lens (🌿,👻) (@StaniKulechov) May 8, 2022
- Officials from YouTube weren't immediately available to comment; commentators on Bankless's Twitter thread made comments like "Wow guys I finally get why we need [Web 3]" which would prevent an organization from shutting down a channel through decentralization.
- The removal of the Bankless channel may not be permanent or a signal that YouTube found anything objectionable in the channel's content. The social media giant has shut down other channels in the past without explanation only to reinstate them at a later time, again without explanation.
- On Monday, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki wrote in a tweet that the company had "clearly made a mistake" in banning the Bankless channel.
- Wojcicki added: "Love the level of conversation happening around crypto on YouTube - very interested in web3 and the role we can play in the topic."
Read more: Lessons from CoinDesk's One-Day YouTube Shutdown
Update: Monday, May 9, 2022, 15:20 UTC: Added information that YouTube restored the Bankless channel.
Update: Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 9:02 UTC: Added comments from YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki on reason behind suspension.
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