YouTube shuts down educational crypto channels

Youtube has taken down some cryptocurrency educational channels without any explanation

By Shashank Bhardwaj

Image: Shutterstock

YouTube is facing controversy after it took down several cryptocurrency-focused channels without any notice or explanation and left them questioning the call for action. Bankless, Optimism Collective, and Gabriel Haines had their channels shut off.

The Bankless channel was the largest of the crypto-focused YouTube accounts to be taken down, and the owner announced the shut-down of his channel via Twitter. The channel which had over 150,000 subscribers and over 10,000 hours of content, including significant figures such as Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, said it had been taken down "without notice or justification".

Bankless later addressed a public message to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, requesting the reinstatement of the YouTube account.

Other channels have been shut down by Youtube without reason in the past, only to be reinstated later, again, without explanation. This move by YouTube sparked outrage among the cryptocurrency audience as they claimed it felt like a purported attack on the community.

The Bankless channel was later unbanned, and in a tweet, the founder invited the YouTube CEO for a discussion on Web3 and NFTs on a podcast. In a tweet on Monday, Wojcicki replied that the firm had "obviously made a mistake" by removing the Bankless channel, and that the channel was restored. Wojcicki further added: "Love the level of conversation happening around crypto on YouTube–very interested in web3 and the role we can play in the topic."

Shashank is the founder at yMedia. He ventured into crypto in 2013 and is an ETH maximalist. Twitter: @bhardwajshash

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