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The increased number of fake Bitcoin giveaways on YouTube involving various celebrities has pushed Apple Inc co-founder Steve Wozniak to file a lawsuit against the platform and the parent company – Google.
Wozniak Sues YouTube Because Of Fake BTC Giveaways
Fake Bitcoin giveaways are a growing threat in the cryptocurrency industry. Scammers begin live streams on YouTube impersonating famous individuals or companies and offer to double all BTC funds victims send to their addresses. Needless to say, all victims that fall for such dubious activities do not receive the promised funds.
Some of the most popular figures to be used by scammers include Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and now – Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. However, Wozniak has decided to take legal action against YouTube and the company owning it – Google.
According to an announcement from the law firm of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, Wozniak urged YouTube several times to take down the fraudulent videos, but the largest video-sharing platform has been “unresponsive.”
“If YouTube had acted quickly to stop this to a reasonable extent, we would not be here now. YouTube, like Google, seems to rely on algorithms and no special effort requiring customer software employed quickly in these cases of criminal activity. If a crime is being committed, you MUST be able to reach humans capable of stopping it. What human would see posts like these and not ban them as criminal immediately?” – added Wozniak.
Seventeen other alleged victims of similar scams have joined the lawsuit. They have asked the court to order YouTube and its parent company to immediately remove the videos and start warning users of the fraudulent giveaways. They have also demanded compensatory and punitive damages.
At the time of this writing, YouTube hasn’t offered an official response to the lawsuit.
Following Ripple’s Example
The large number of fake Bitcoin giveaways scams also involves some of the most popular companies and individuals within the cryptocurrency community. Such is the case with Brad Garlinghouse – CEO of the payment protocol firm – Ripple.
The company behind the fourth-largest cryptocurrency XRP filed a lawsuit against YouTube in April this year. Similarly to Wozniak, Ripple blamed the platform for not taking the necessary actions to confront the scammers and halt the deceitful videos.
“It’s time to end this unacceptable behavior and protect our friends, family members, and consumers everywhere. YouTube and other big technology and social media platforms must be held accountable for not implementing sufficient processes and for fighting these scams.” – asserted the company at the time.
Ripple also said that it hired external cybersecurity and digital threat intelligence vendor to help with reporting and takedown efforts as the number of scams with the company’s name has increased lately.
Featured Image Courtesy Of Fortune