BitChute
Type of site | Online video platform |
---|---|
Available in | English |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Created by | Ray Vahey |
Parent | Bit Chute Limited |
URL | www |
Registration | Optional |
Launched | January 2017 |
Current status | Active |
BitChute is an
History
Bit Chute Limited, BitChute's corporate identity, was registered by Ray Vahey in January 2017 in
In November 2018, BitChute was banned from
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.[11][25]
In March 2020, a new provision to Germany's
As of January 2021, BitChute was in the process of being reported to
In June 2023, Police Scotland launched an investigation into content published on BitChute that directed abuse and threats towards First Minister Humza Yousaf after receiving a complaint from his office. The content included several Red Ice videos featuring American white supremacist Lana Lokteff, one of which called for Yousaf to "go back" to Pakistan.[31]
Content
Since launching, BitChute has accommodated
BitChute's founder Ray Vahey has described BitChute as "politically neutral".
BitChute is part of a group of "
Some creators who have been banned from YouTube or had their channels demonetised subsequently migrated to BitChute.[4] The far-right conspiracy theory channel InfoWars migrated to BitChute after being banned by YouTube in 2018.[2] Other creators maintain a presence on YouTube and on BitChute, and some post more extreme content on BitChute while using YouTube for less extreme material.[16] Prominent far-right and alt-right video creators who have cross-posted to both YouTube and BitChute include Lauren Southern, Stefan Molyneux, Millennial Woes, and Paul Joseph Watson.[4][5][22]
The platform also hosts
Model
BitChute does not rely on advertising, and users can send payments to video creators directly.[22] Since its launch, the site has promoted its use of the peer-to-peer technology WebTorrent as a means to decentralise hosting and reduce costs.[1] BitChute allows creators to monetise the videos they publish on the platform by linking to fundraising websites including SubscribeStar, PayPal, and cryptocurrency processors. Although PayPal banned BitChute themselves from using their service, BitChute still links to PayPal pages for creators who choose to use them.[14]
At launch, the site claimed it was using peer-to-peer WebTorrent technology.
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e Maxwell, Andy (29 January 2017). "BitChute is a BitTorrent-Powered YouTube Alternative". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on 9 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d Schroeder, Audra (2 November 2018). "Far-right conspiracy vloggers have a new home". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Dearden, Lizzie (22 July 2020). "Inside the UK-based site that has become the far right's YouTube". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d Daro, Ishmael N.; Lytvynenko, Jane (18 April 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 5 July 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ a b Tani, Maxwell (22 September 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 8 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ^ Robertson, Adi (9 October 2017). "Two months ago, the internet tried to banish Nazis. No one knows if it worked". The Verge. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- ^ a b Livni, Ephrat (12 May 2019). "Twitter, Facebook, and Insta bans send the alt-right to Gab and Telegram". Quartz. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 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.
- ^ from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ Tighe, Mark; Galvin, Joe (31 January 2021). "Facebook acts as conspiracy theories on Covid in Ireland go viral". The Times. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ S2CID 221471947.
- ^ a b c Hayden, Michael Edison (11 January 2019). "A Problem of Epik Proportions". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ^ a b "BitChute: A Hotbed of Hate". Anti-Defamation League. 31 August 2020. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d Davis, Gregory (20 July 2020). "Bitchute: Platforming Hate and Terror in the UK" (PDF). Hope not Hate. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Andrews, Frank; Pym, Ambrose (24 February 2021). "The Websites Sustaining Britain's Far-Right Influencers". Bellingcat. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ ISSN 0267-3231.
In addition, the platform hosts more extreme content, including overtly misogynist, racist and supremacist channels. For example, the antisemitic and neo-Nazi film Europa – the Last Battle (2017), a 10-h film which is banned from YouTube, is found across several Bitchute channels.
- ^ S2CID 220434725.
- ^ a b c d Brennan, Fredrick (27 November 2019). "Bitchute claims to be a decentralized platform—that's not true". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ a b Chant, Tim De (29 April 2021). "Conspiracy theorist said death threats were "jokes"—but jury didn't buy it". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ "Bit Chute Limited — Overview". Companies House. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "BitChute — Terms & Conditions". BitChute. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "BitChute". Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (pop-up notice) - ^ a b c Alexander, Julia (7 March 2018). "Controversial YouTubers head to alternative platforms in wake of 'purge'". Polygon. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ a b c Blake, Andrew (14 November 2018). "BitChute, YouTube alternative, cries foul over apparent punt from PayPal". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ Newton, Casey (15 November 2018). "Facebook has a growing morale problem". The Verge. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ Butini, Cecilia (2 March 2020). "Germany to force social media companies to report hate speech to police". Coda. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ P, Jamie (7 August 2020). "Bitchute Blocked by Twitter? Here's Why". Tech Times. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ "BitChute - A Very British Problem". Community Security Trust. 28 January 2021. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ "Community Guidelines". BitChute. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ McLaughlin, Martyn (3 June 2023). "Police Scotland launches investigation into racist abuse and threats aimed at Humza Yousaf". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ Zonshine, Idan (15 June 2020). "New UK report exposes massive online network of far-right antisemitism". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Lytvynenko, Jane (1 June 2020). "After The "Plandemic" Video Went Viral In The US, It Was Exported To The Rest Of The World". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Bellemare, Andrea; Nicholson, Katie; Ho, Jason (21 May 2020). "How a debunked COVID-19 video kept spreading after Facebook and YouTube took it down". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.