YouTube Algorithm Continues Crypto Censorship
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Crypto YouTubers are under fire from an overzealous censorship algorithm. Ivan on Tech, Pro Blockchain, and BitBoy all reported another round of strikes on seemingly innocuous videos.
New Round of Strikes
Cryptocurrency focused channels on YouTube are under fire again as several creators report strikes on their accounts. IvanOnTech, one of the most popular crypto YouTubers, reported today that his channel received another strike for supposedly violating YouTube’s policies.
THE CRYPTO PURGE CONTINUES!!@TeamYouTube removed our video from this morning and gave us a strike AGAIN!!!
Nothing harmful or dangerous in that content…
RETWEET SO WE CAN SOLVE THIS AGAIN QUICKLY!!
— Ivan on Tech 🥕🥕🫐🫐🍓 Moralis (@IvanOnTech) March 9, 2020
The latest strike on the popular crypto YouTuber comes less than a month after receiving a strike that restricted him from posting videos for a week and from streaming for three months.
Pro Blockchain, a Russian educational YouTube channel, received a similar strike last week after posting a video analyzing Bitcoin’s price. The video, according to a screengrab posted by the channel, seems to have violated YouTube’s harmful or dangerous content policy.
Hey @YouTube @TeamYouTube We Received strike on our channel! We do not make any Harmful or dangerous content! Pls check! Our channel – https://t.co/8B5Ds1sYLr @IvanOnTech @MMcrypto @Davincij15 @ForkLog @coindesk @Cointelegraph Help! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/yIGcgTubxI
— PRO BLOCKCHAIN (@PRO_BLOCKCHAIN) March 3, 2020
The channel’s strike attracted a lot of attention, with many other crypto YouTube creators complaining about their live streams receiving similar strikes since the beginning of the month.
@YouTube can you please review the #XRP video that you took down today.
I think I also speak for the #XRPcommunity when I ask, "What is harmful or dangerous about going over news articles for XRP?"
If its something else, please let me know.
Thank you,
RT for viability pic.twitter.com/RDQlYr2Ysw
— Cryptic Poet (@1CrypticPoet) February 26, 2020
. @TeamYouTube I was unfairly hit with a strike today and cannot upload videos. The video I posted about the #Bitcoin Halvening was purely informational.
I need this appeal expedited as I make daily videos and can't upload for 7 days now!
Everyone please retweet!@ytcreators pic.twitter.com/rzqBZYvFB0
— Bitboy Crypto (@Bitboy_Crypto) March 1, 2020
Can These Strikes be Avoided?
Youtube began cracking down on cryptocurrency-related content in December last year when it penalized many of the same channels as it did this month. While YouTube removed the strikes after public outcry from the crypto community, not everyone empathized with the struck creators.
Last month, many criticized IvanOnTech for heavily promoting ByBit, a leverage trading platform with a wobbly reputation to newcomers, saying that his channel might have even been reported by other users.
Many of the other penalized YouTubers were also criticized for the sensationalist titles they give to their videos, as the platform’s algorithms recognize them as dangerous and potentially misleading.
Infamous Crypto YouTuber Trevon James, who is famous for shilling Bitconnect and recently HEX, said that the type of content dominant on the IvanOnTech channel was what landed him a community guideline strike. His own channel, he explained, never used sensationalism to get views nor did he shill sketchy crypto services to its viewers.
In a race to get more views and secure funds from advertisers and sponsors, many crypto YouTubers resort to clickbait and over-the-top, often misleading titles. And while the content itself might not trigger YouTube’s increasingly sensitive algorithms, the titles and comments certainly do.
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