Social:Odysee
Odysee is an American decentralized video hosting platform, built on the LBRY blockchain.[1][2][3] It positions itself as an alternative to mainstream services like YouTube, but with a focus on freedom of speech and decentralization.[4]
The platform enables users to upload, share, and monetize videos through cryptocurrency, while maintaining content persistence through a peer-to-peer network.[5]
History
Odysee was founded in 2020 by Julian Chandra.[5]
In June 2024, Odysee was acquired by Forward Research. The acquisition took place after Odysee's former parent company LBRY lost a lawsuit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in July 2023.[6][7]
Technology
Odysee is driven by blockchain, a decentralized protocol that allows digital content to be distributed and stored without a central authority. This blockchain network supports a peer-to-peer infrastructure, which allows users to upload and share videos. The metadata of uploaded content is stored on the blockchain, while the videos themselves are hosted across a distributed network of users, referred to as nodes.[8]
Arweave is a decentralized data storage network that uses blockchain technology to enable digital storage. Its native AR token pays for storage and incentivizes participants.[citation needed] The Arweave network has been used to archive content in censorship-sensitive regions like Hong Kong and during conflicts such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[9][10]
Moderation
Odysee's content moderation is significantly less restrictive compared to mainstream platforms like YouTube. Since its launch in September 2020, Odysee's lax moderation policies and decentralized structure has allowed hate speech and misinformation to be spread on the platform.[11] This has included far-right groups, conspiracy theorists, and individuals banned from other platforms.[5][12]
In addition to facilitating hate speech, Odysee has also hosted disinformation, particularly around topics such as COVID-19 misinformation and Vaccine misinformation, and political conspiracy theories. The platform's decentralized nature makes it difficult for content to be effectively moderated or removed, allowing misinformation and disinformation to spread without significant resistance.[5]
Odysee has faced geo-blocking restrictions in regions such as the European Union, where governments have raised concerns about content deemed harmful or disinformation.[13]
See also
References
- ↑ Carless, Will. "It looks like a regular video-streaming site. It's fundraising for white supremacists, report says". https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2023/11/07/video-streaming-site-odysee-extremist-crypto/71481831007/.
- ↑ "A website that provides a platform for neo-Nazis got its seed funding from Boston elites". September 30, 2024. https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2024-09-30/a-website-that-provides-a-platform-for-neo-nazis-got-its-seed-funding-from-boston-elites.
- ↑ "Blockchain-based Odysee keeps your social media content online". https://www.zdnet.com/finance/blockchain/blockchain-based-odysee-keeps-your-social-media-content-online/.
- ↑ Ha, Anthony (2020-12-07). "Odysee aims to build a more independent video platform" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/07/odysee-launch/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Wilson, Jason (16 July 2023). "Extremist-friendly tech company closes after legal fine". https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/16/lbry-closes-odysee-cryptocurrency-tech-sec-fraud-extremist.
- ↑ Wilson, Jason (2023-07-16). "Extremist-friendly tech company closes after legal fine" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/16/lbry-closes-odysee-cryptocurrency-tech-sec-fraud-extremist.
- ↑ "SEC vs LBRY Summary Judgement Ruling (We Lost)". 7 November 2022. https://odysee.com/@lbry:3f/secvslbrysummaryjudgementruling:a.
- ↑ "Digital Threat Report: Odysee" (in en). 6 November 2023. https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2023/11/06/digital-threat-report-odysee.
- ↑ "Hong Kong's Apple Daily to live on in blockchain, free of censors" (in en-US). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hong-kongs-apple-daily-live-blockchain-free-censors-2021-06-24.
- ↑ "Crypto Network Promises Hack-Proof History of Ukraine Attack" (in en). Bloomberg.com. http://www.bloomberg.com./news/articles/2022-02-25/ukraine-invasion-videos-amass-on-crypto-data-storage-network.
- ↑ P, Nelly (15 December 2022). "The maze of content moderation on Odysee". https://checkfirst.network/the-maze-of-content-moderation-on-odysee/.
- ↑ "On Odysee: The Role of Blockchain Technology for Monetisation in the Far-Right Online Milieu" (in en-GB). https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-publications/on-odysee-the-role-of-blockchain-technology-for-monetisation-in-the-far-right-online-milieu/.
- ↑ "Odysee: list of geo-blocking requests shows the EU and EU Member States are far from doing enough to enforce the law" (in en-US). https://www.disinfo.eu/advocacy/odysee-list-of-geo-blocking-requests-shows-the-eu-and-eu-member-states-are-far-from-doing-enough-to-enforce-the-law/.
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