Several popular crypto YouTube educational channels have had their channels shut down by the video-sharing platform
YouTube Shuts Down The Bankless Channel
The Bankless channel is the largest of the crypto-focused YouTube accounts to be shut down. It was the Bankless channel that shared via tweet that their channel had been shut-down.
The Bankless channel, which had over 150,000 subscribers and over 10,000 hours of material, was taken down “without notice or justification”.
Bankless wrote a public message to CEO Susan Wojcicki on Monday, following up on his Sunday Tweet in which he informed his Twitter followers of the suspension.
On Monday, the Bankless channel returned to YouTube, but several other crypto-focused accounts were suspended. Optimism Collective and Gabriel Haines were also banned.
Is This Move Preventing Freedom Of Speech?
However, YouTube has been known to randomly shut down and reopen channels. To the skeptic, YouTube appears to be targeting Web3 and crypto channels, limiting freedom of speech.
Aave’s founder, Stani Kulechov, tweeted about the video-sharing platform’s recent shutdowns, saying:
“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”
The video-sharing platform’s CEO, Susan Wojcicki, encouraged foreign governments to enact tighter speech rules to restrict “hateful” comments.
“Our recommendation, if governments want to have more control over online speech is to pass laws to have that be very cleanly and clearly defined so that we can implement it,” Wojcicki said.
She added:
“We work around the globe, and you’re right, certainly there are many different laws and many different jurisdictions, and we…enforce the laws of the various jurisdictions around speech or what’s considered safe or not safe.”
