Is this America or Venezuela?
Simply Bitcoin: Google's Latest Victim of Targeted Censorship and Deplatforming
“I was in the middle of a stream when YouTube deleted our account," Nico Moran told me in an interview about the recent deplatforming of his company, Simply Bitcoin, by YouTube. "I don’t get into the crazy stuff we see online; my content and my company focus on educating people about Bitcoin and why it’s important. I’m a first-generation American from a Venezuelan family, and I’m upset to see Maduro-like tactics being used by American corporations. Is this America or Venezuela?”
Simply Bitcoin was founded by Nico Moran in 2020 and has since grown to become the world’s leading Bitcoin-only podcast and YouTube channel. "I started Simply Bitcoin because, at that time, there wasn’t much Bitcoin-only content. Most of the Bitcoin coverage on the internet was focused on crypto and didn’t address the most important attributes of Bitcoin—its ability to preserve your wealth and hard work through the hard money that the Bitcoin protocol provides." Simply Bitcoin often discusses and educates its audience on the unfairness of monetary policy and how inflation erodes our ability to provide for those we love.
I have known Nico for almost three years, since the Canadian Trucker Convoy, when he reached out and asked me to be a guest on Simply Bitcoin as saw the evolution of the Canadian Trucker Convoy, and he had seen a number of my interviews on plaforms like Tucker Carlson, Steven Crowder, and of course, Jordan Peterson's podcast. I’ve watched Simply Bitcoin make significant strides in a short period and become one of the most influential Bitcoin-only platforms in the English-speaking world. Amazingly, its success is the result of an organic, grassroots effort, built through simple hard work and dedication to producing a daily podcast that focuses on Bitcoin and increasingly discusses politics, albeit only as it relates to Bitcoin. Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy speaking at Bitcoin Nashville 2024 is just one example.
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Nico the founder of Simply Bitcoin is a first-generation American from Venezuela and is a minority-owned business located in Miami, Florida something that should appease the diversity quota mob yet that seems not to be the case. "I was sold on the promise that America was the land of the free and the home of the brave, yet the growing expansion of censorship and deplatforming echoes the repression occurring in Venezuela under the Maduro regime right now where people who speak out are jailed or tortured for demanding freedom." For those not paying attention, Venezuela continues its downward slide toward a communist dictatorship in the recent elections largely deemed illegitimate by most countries around the world. "I don’t want this to be the future of America, and it’s upsetting to see corporations like Google participating in this censorious behaviour. I just wanted to talk about bitcoin and build a business."
At the time of the deplatforming, Simply Bitcoin had not received any of the promised three strike warnings prior to deplatforming as outlined in the YouTube creator agreement. There was no warning, no heads-up, and certainly no strikes on the account when YouTube deleted the stream. Interestingly, all corporate sponsors have been entirely supportive of Simply Bitcoin, as Google and YouTube, the top two search engines in the world, are increasingly seen as non-credible platforms, leading users to seek alternatives. No one agrees with the fallacious smear to Simply Bitcoin that their content is "Harmful and Dangerous."
The censorship and deplatforming haven't been limited to Simply Bitcoin, as many of us know. Numerous popular platforms, including The Lotus Eaters and George Gammon's Rebel Capitalist, have also been deleted, though they were later reinstated. However, The Lotus Eaters has been permanently demonetized, even though Google continues to show ads on their content, keeping 100% of the profits. Other Bitcoin YouTube channels, such as Bitcoin Magazine, Bitcoin University, BTC Sessions, and more, have also been deplatformed and reinstated in what appears to be a technocratic behavior nudge strategy to push creators toward greater self-censorship.
More alarmingly, we're seeing this heavy-handed enforcement happening globally, as nation-states increasingly feel entitled to impose speech restrictions on corporations and individuals. Could this be why YouTube is so strict in its enforcement? Is it a protective measure against bureaucrats drunk with power?
Shortly after the deplatforming of Simply Bitcoin, Pavell Durov, the CEO and founder of the popular free speech messaging app Telegram, was reportedly arrested at Le Bourget Airport near Paris after landing from Azerbaijan. Pavell Durov founded Telegram in 2013 and left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his Facebook competitor, VKontakte, which he later sold.
There is also the ongoing and targeted harassment of Elon Musk by political bureaucrats and elected officials who seem more focused on radical ideologies than on public service. Their threats against the electric car and SpaceX business tycoon have continually escalated. In an historic example of brazen totalitarianism that would make mid-century Germans blush, a letter from a representative of the European Union was distributed across the internet, demanding that Elon Musk censor his conversation with American presidential candidate Donald Trump in the midst of an election campaign. Could this not be considered election meddling? How long has this kind of behaviour been going on? Have such letters been issued to legacy media outlets for years? Is this the reason legacy media is so deceptive and untrustworthy?
It is interesting the bureaucrats targeting the executive leadership of tech and social media platforms never show outrage for financial scams frequently run out of Nigeria, Pakistan, and other jurisdictions. They also refuse to crack down on tech leaders running platforms that allow the sexual exploitation of minors. Much like financial scams, this is not a concern as long as speech criticizing political bureaucrats is stifled. Note, Andrew Tate ascended to fame by manipulating Instagram as much as he manipulated teenagers, recruiting them for sex work prior to the age of 18—a requirement in every country on the planet. Neither child exploitation nor financial scams are seen as a "threat to our democracy," but if you talk about the bureaucratic leaders, many of whom are allegedly engaged in significant money laundering schemes around the world, you will feel the full wrath of the state.
Aba N Preach: [SELF SNITCHING. Andrew Tate Admits To Sleeping With Minors... GETS NEW CHARGES.
One positive takeaway from the current climate is that, much like the Canadian Trucker Protest where I engaged with people from all walks of life —from the working class to teachers and financial executives— the authoritarian harassment speech policing impacts all of us. Many are becoming increasingly unified, striving to find our footing to push back against the encroaching collectivist extremism led by bureaucrats such as the recently elected UK Prime Minister Mein Führer Keri Schtormer. Keir Starmer's Labour Party has enshrined caliphate style prosecution against individuals now jailed for Twitter / X posts that are significantly less offence than Eddie Murphy's classic, Delirious.
None of this is sustainable, and while I am confident that Simply Bitcoin will have its YouTube account reinstated, that alone is but a small victory. The real threat is the psychological game of behavioural nudge theory imposed on us, which leads to self-censorship and makes platform executives feel as though they are walking on eggshells. We must also resist the distraction caused by individuals, programmed to respond to every free speech argument with their fetish for Holocaust denialism, who always divert attention from the larger issue. To them, I say: go draw a cartoon of Muhammad tough guy and leave the rest of us alone. Denial of historical fact only empowers "well-meaning" authoritarians who seek to control our lives "for everyone’s safety."
As for the current victims of deplatforming and authoritarian speech restrictions, from Simply Bitcoin to Pavel Durov, consider logging onto social media or X to share their plea and email it to others. As Nico told me in our interview, "Please contact YouTube on our behalf and help us be reinstated. I will repay you by continuing to support free speech, the most important pillar of freedom and democracy."
If you decide to remain silent, it may only be a matter of time before you receive a message like the one I did when my bank accounts and credit cards were frozen for having a counter opinion: "We reviewed your content and found severe and repeated violations. You will no longer be able to access our financial products."
And then, you might not be reinstated.
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