The popular Google-owned video sharing platform YouTube has been removing cryptocurrency-related videos from some of the space’s most popular content creators.

YouTube has removed the videos after flagging them as “harmful and dangerous,” with at least one popular YouTuber claiming his videos were removed due to the “sale of regulated goods.” Various popular channels producing crypto-related content, including that of Chris Dunn, Crypto Tips, The Cryptoverse, Chico Crypto, and Node Investor had videos removed without any heads up.

While the platform is known for cracking down on those breaking its advertiser-friendly guidelines, most deleted crypto-related content seemingly didn’t break any of YouTube’s rules. Chris Dunn’s YouTube channel, for example, has over 210,000 subscribers and isn’t purely crypto-focused. Most of his videos mentioning crypto were removed.

Chico Crypto, a content creator focusing only on cryptocurrencies with 67,000 subscribers, also revealed on the social media platform some of his videos have been taken down, with one supposedly only asking people if they had ever heard of bitcoin.

According to the YouTuber, “not a single one” of the videos that have been removed from his channel violated YouTube’s community guidelines. In a follow-up, Chico Crypto showed screenshots from a Telegram chat where attackers seemingly admit to flagging his videos for removal.

The International Business times reports YouTube has in the past removed videos en masse for security reasons, specifically those infected with the Stantinko botnet. While this could explain why videos are being removed for potentially being “harmful and dangerous,” it wouldn’t explain why some are being removed for the “sale of regulated goods.”

In response to the removals, many in the cryptocurrency community pointed towards blockchain-based alternatives to Google’s platform. These include Steemit, DTube, and DLive.

Featured image via Unsplash.