Steve Wozniak suing YouTube over Bitcoin scams
Apple founder Steve Wozniak is hitting back at YouTube for allowing scammers to use his likeness to promote fake bitcoin giveaway scams.
Image Credit: Gage Skidmore
Cryptocurrency scams are becoming increasingly common these days, with many widely-known tech figures being targeted to help promote them. In mid-July, Twitter suffered a security breach that allowed a malicious actor the ability to tweet from verified accounts, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and even the official Apple twitter account. The tweet suggested that users who sent bitcoin to a wallet address would be sent double the amount.
According to a lawsuit seen by Bloomberg, Wozniak, along with 17 other alleged victims, are suing YouTube over a similar scam. Scammers have been using Wozniak's likeness, through both images and video, to promote fake cryptocurrency giveaways.
The suit, filed on July 21 in San Mateo County, California, asks the court to order YouTube to immediately remove the videos and warn users about bitcoin giveaway scams. The victims are also seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
YouTube has historically relied upon the communications decency act to defend itself against similar suits. Under the communications decency act, platforms have no liability for content posted by users, assuming that there is at least some moderation efforts to combat problematic content.
Image Credit: Gage Skidmore
Cryptocurrency scams are becoming increasingly common these days, with many widely-known tech figures being targeted to help promote them. In mid-July, Twitter suffered a security breach that allowed a malicious actor the ability to tweet from verified accounts, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and even the official Apple twitter account. The tweet suggested that users who sent bitcoin to a wallet address would be sent double the amount.
According to a lawsuit seen by Bloomberg, Wozniak, along with 17 other alleged victims, are suing YouTube over a similar scam. Scammers have been using Wozniak's likeness, through both images and video, to promote fake cryptocurrency giveaways.
The suit, filed on July 21 in San Mateo County, California, asks the court to order YouTube to immediately remove the videos and warn users about bitcoin giveaway scams. The victims are also seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
YouTube has historically relied upon the communications decency act to defend itself against similar suits. Under the communications decency act, platforms have no liability for content posted by users, assuming that there is at least some moderation efforts to combat problematic content.
Comments
Most people and the vulnerable don't know how Bitcoin works.
Some sites are tying him to Apple directly. Headlines like "Apple's Steve Wozniak suing YouTube" instead of calling him "Apple founder" etc. I think they're trying to spin this into an anti-Apple story.
He's still an Apple employee.
I’m not exactly sure that changing those laws would have the impact people like Trump expect (the administration is known to want to change this law). I mean, if Twitter and Facebook are no longer protected from user content lawsuits, why would his content suddenly be “safe” from them deleting it?
Put the liability on the hosts and you’ll see a lot less “free” platforming (because moderating is already a mess and virtually impossible to perfect). I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing.
As a side note: I personally think the anonymous and open internet is something the majority of nations will eventually stop tolerating (some barely do now). It will end. It will be authoritarians, advertising scum, security violators, fake content creators, and anonymous coward trolls/bullies that bring this about, eventually. Greed, selfishness, and arrogant ignorance will ruin it for everyone who actually wanted to use anonymity and accessibility as a tool to benefit humanity.