YouTube Calls Crypto Video Removal An 'Error,' But Many Still Not Reinstated

Alphabet Inc.'s GOOGL GOOG video-sharing platform YouTube on Thursday apologized for removing a host of cryptocurrency videos from its platform over the last week.

What Happened

Multiple cryptocurrency content creators complained that YouTube started taking down their videos Dec. 23, with no apparent violation of the platform's community guidelines, as we reported Thursday.

YouTube has now said that the "crypto purge," as many in the community are calling it, was an "error" on its part.

"[This] was an error on our side during the review process – your video should be reinstated and strikes resolved. Let us know if you're seeing otherwise!," the company's customer support team told an affected user on Twitter.

A YouTube spokesperson further confirmed that it was an indeed an error, in a statement to CoinDesk.

YouTube simply rehashed the standard statement it has been making since at least 2013, when it took down and re-uploaded David Bowie's "The Next Day" video.

"With the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make the wrong call. When it's brought to our attention that a video has been removed mistakenly, we act quickly to reinstate it. We also offer uploaders the ability to appeal removals and we will re-review the content," the spokesperson said.

Many Videos Still Not Reinstated

At the same time, multiple users continue to say that their videos aren't yet up. In fact, YouTube has taken down more videos.

YouTuber Chris Dunn, one of the most influential cryptocurrency content creators on the platform, who was also one of the first to report the ban, said that YouTube took down more of his videos on Thursday, even after the status of his appeals was updated to "approved."

At press time, YouTube has reinstated some of the videos, while others continue to be down. Other users made similar complaints on Twitter Inc TWTR.

While Dunn told CoinDesk that he has a "goodbye" video ready for the platform, YouTube's move also invited criticism from computer scientist and investor Paul Graham.

"Think twice about building a business on a platform some other company controls. The more popular the platform is, the less compunction they'll feel about crushing you," Graham said.