An Indian crypto influencer Budhil Vyas has claimed that he received a two week ban on his YouTube channel by YouTube for allegedly promoting “exaggerated financial insights” related to crypto investments. The influencer has dubbed the temporary suspension as “harassment” and accused YouTube of pulling Indian creators back with arbitrary bans.
Taking to social media platform X, Vyas revealed that he received a 14 day ban on his official YouTube channel ‘Crypto Talks’ that has over 220,000 subscribers. As of now, YouTube has removed his videos from display section of his public profile.
Vyas also posted a screenshot of the four videos from his channel that were flagged by YouTube and incidentally, all the videos had titles that promised unrealistic gains on short crypto investments. According to Vyas, YouTube had flagged his videos as “harmful or dangerous content”.
“Just got another 14-day BAN without reason the moment my last ban ended. No explanation, no clear violations, nothing But this isn’t just about crypto anymore – this is about EVERY Indian creator’s future on YouTube,” said Vyas.
Vyas also accused YouTube management of trying to pull down Indian YouTubers with arbitrary suspensions and bans.
“Crypto Education isn’t a crime. App reviews aren’t violations. Financial literacy isn’t wrong. Why are Indian creators being targeted? Why no transparency? Why no clear guidelines? Why no real support? This isn’t about policy enforcement anymore. This is about the survival of Indian creators who’ve spent years building educational communities,” said Vyas.
However, not everyone was impressed with Vyas’ plea as many pointed out the unrealistic financial promises made in the four videos of his YouTube channel that ultimately led to the ban.
What does YouTube Terms of Service Say About Crypto Creators?
While YouTube’s terms of service for creators do not explicitly mention crypto influencers but they have put a detailed guideline under ‘scam’ section of their content policies wherein they state that YouTube doesn’t allow content that makes “exaggerated promises” to viewers.
Moreover, according to a news report published in The Mint newspaper in November last year, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) removed over 15,000 content pieces related to unauthorized financial advice on social media including YouTube from June to August 2024.
The incident related to Indian crypto influencer perhaps serves as a reminder that while a united voice for Indian social media content creators is a necessity, but what is also crucial is some self introspection on behalf of influencers themselves regarding the content they promote.
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