BitChute

BitChute is a video hosting service that uses peer-to-peer WebTorrent technology.[2] It was founded as a way to avoid content rules that are enforced on platforms like YouTube,[2] and some creators who have been banned or had their channels "demonetized" (barred from receiving advertising revenue) on YouTube have migrated to BitChute.[3] The platform accommodates far-right individuals and conspiracy theorists[8]; the Southern Poverty Law Center accuses the site of hosting "hate-fueled material".[9]

History

The company was launched by Ray Vahey in January 2017.[4] It is based on the peer-to-peer WebTorrent system, a JavaScript torrenting program that can run in a web browser. Users who watch a video also seed it.[3] BitChute does not rely on advertising, and users can send payments to video creators directly.[10]

In November 2018 BitChute was banned from PayPal,[11] without PayPal publishing any reason for the ban.[12] Alex Jones, the Proud Boys, Tommy Robinson, and several anti-fascists were also banned at the same time.[11]

In January 2019, BitChute announced in a post on Gab that they would move their domains over to Epik, a small domain registrar known for accepting the registration of websites that host far-right content.[9][13]

Content

BitChute has accommodated far-right groups and individuals,[8] and has been criticized by the Southern Poverty Law Center for hosting "hate-fueled material".[9] There has been conflict between YouTube and right-wing video creators over the inclusion of hate speech and misinformation in videos, and YouTube responded in some cases by banning creators, blocking their videos, or through channel "demonetization".[3] Vahey has described BitChute as an alternative option to avoid the "bannings, demonetization, and tweaking algorithms to send certain content into obscurity" he views as "increased levels of censorship" by established services like YouTube.[2] Some users and groups who have been banned from YouTube have migrated to BitChute, including Alex Jones' far-right conspiracy theory channel InfoWars.[4] Other prominent far-right and alt-right video creators who are not banned from YouTube cross-post their videos to BitChute, including Lauren Southern, Stefan Molyneux, Millennial Woes, and Paul Joseph Watson.[3][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bitchute.com Traffic, Demographics and Competitors - Alexa". Alexa Internet. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Maxwell, Andy (January 29, 2017). "BitChute is a BitTorrent-Powered YouTube Alternative". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e Daro, Ishmael N.; Lytvynenko, Jane (April 18, 2018). "Right-Wing YouTubers Think It's Only A Matter Of Time Before They Get Kicked Off The Site". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Schroeder, Audra (November 2, 2018). "Far-right conspiracy vloggers have a new home". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Tani, Maxwell (September 22, 2017). "'There's no one for right-wingers to pick a fight with': The far right is struggling to sustain interest in its social media platforms". Business Insider. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  6. ^ Robertson, Adi (October 9, 2017). "Two months ago, the internet tried to banish Nazis. No one knows if it worked". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2019. Alt-tech services include alternatives to Reddit (Voat), Patreon (Hatreon), Twitter (Gab), GoFundMe (GoyFundMe), and YouTube (BitChute)
  7. ^ Livni, Ephrat (May 12, 2019). "Twitter, Facebook, and Insta bans send the alt-right to Gab and Telegram". Quartz. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019. The far right have plenty of places to go when they are no longer welcome on mainstream platforms—like Parler, Minds, MeWe, and BitChute, among others.
  8. ^ a b [3][4][5][6][7]
  9. ^ a b c Hayden, Michael Edison (January 11, 2019). "A Problem of Epik Proportions". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  10. ^ Alexander, Julia (March 7, 2018). "Controversial YouTubers head to alternative platforms in wake of 'purge'". Polygon. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Blake, Andrew (November 14, 2018). "BitChute, YouTube alternative, cries foul over apparent punt from PayPal". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  12. ^ Newton, Casey (November 15, 2018). "Facebook has a growing morale problem". The Verge. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  13. ^ Martineau, Paris (November 6, 2018). "How Right-Wing Social Media Site Gab Got Back Online". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.

External links