YouTube Bans Simply Bitcoin, Bitcoin Conference and Bitcoin.com News in the Same Day

YouTube pulled Simply Bitcoin's channel on October 20, mid broadcast, during a show that referenced JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon's long record of trashing bitcoin. The same day, two other Bitcoin-focused outlets lost their channels too: The Bitcoin Conference and Bitcoin.com News.

THREE CHANNELS, ONE DAY, ONE BOILERPLATE REASON

YouTube removed channels operated by The Bitcoin Conference and Simply Bitcoin, citing its harmful and dangerous content policy. The Bitcoin Conference says YouTube rejected its appeal, while Simply Bitcoin disputes the alleged violations. Bitcoin.com News also reported a separate channel ban connected to its Korea Blockchain Week coverage, followed by reinstatement and another removal. On October 19, Bitcoin.com News said YouTube had previously banned its channel during a Korea Blockchain Week livestream, and that the channel was restored following a review, only to be removed again the next day over the same livestream. None of the three outlets has been told which specific clip or line triggered the action beyond the standard policy citation.

WHAT ACTUALLY GOT SIMPLY BITCOIN FLAGGED

Simply Bitcoin's hosts say the show that got them banned covered JPMorgan's bitcoin price outlook and name-checked Dimon's history of calling the asset worthless, a fraud and a tool mainly useful to criminals. The notice they received listed no specific timestamp or clip, only a citation for violating YouTube's policy on harmful and dangerous content. The channel was restored the same day, but the hosts say YouTube still has not released the original livestream video, which remains offline while the two sides work through it. For the rest of the week, Simply Bitcoin is broadcasting from the Plan B conference in Lugano, Switzerland exclusively on Rumble, X and Facebook rather than YouTube.

A PATTERN THAT KEEPS REPEATING

This is not the first time a Bitcoin-focused channel has gone dark over a vague violation notice. YouTube banned the official channel of Bitcoin Magazine during a live stream about Cash App integrating the Lightning Network and bitcoin mining in Kazakhstan, justifying the move by saying content that encourages illegal activities or encourages users to violate YouTube's guidelines is not allowed. The channel was reinstated in under an hour after an appeal, and it was unclear what grounds YouTube used to ban it in the first place. Bitcoin.com's own channel was removed under the same harmful and dangerous label earlier this year with no prior strikes.

DIMON'S OWN COMMENTS ARE STILL UP

Dimon has called bitcoin a "fraud," compared it to a "pet rock," and told lawmakers in 2023 that he would close the industry down if he had the power, all in footage that remains publicly available on YouTube. Simply Bitcoin's hosts argue that citing those same comments on their own show is what got flagged as harmful, while the original remarks never were. YouTube has not addressed that comparison publicly, and until the platform explains which portion of the banned livestream crossed the line, none of the three outlets has a way to know what to change to avoid a repeat.

This story comes from the Simply Bitcoin Live show. Watch the full episode.