YouTube’ legal team has proclaimed that the platform is immune from liability for crypto related scams perpetrated as a part of its video content or descriptions.
Brad Garlinghouse – Attorneys for Ripple [XRP] & CEO filed a lawsuit against YouTube earlier in April in response to the platform’s failure to prevent XRP scammers and impersonators. Ripple argued that the platform benefits from the actions of the scammers by taking advantage of paid ads.
But consistent with a 21st July update on Law360, lawyers for the video-sharing platform argued within a dismissal bid that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act – that generally protects platform publishers from liability over information offered by third parties – applied to the case.
YouTube’ legal team argued that its “unwitting verification” of scam channels doesn’t change the very fact that the content was created by third parties — not the video-sharing platform itself. Lawyers for the website however claim that because Ripple isn’t alleging YouTube “solicited, encouraged, or participated within the third-party fraudsters’ scam,” the platform has no liability.
Scammers Over Taking Unrelated But Verified Channel Easily
Ripple’s lawsuit cites 305 instances of channels specifically impersonating Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse. Some scammers took over unrelated but verified channels, and modified the layout and content to form it appear as if it had been a legitimate cryptocurrency giveaway from a verified account.
In line with the YouTube’s legal team, “the right of publicity law protects individuals’ names, images or voices from getting used for commercial purposes without permission, but Ripple’s suit alleges that a third-party hacker employed Garlinghouse’s identity in its videos, not YouTube.”
Scammers Impersonating Renowned Figures
Scammers have impersonated several of figures in technology and finance within their attempts to con unwitting subscribers out of their cryptocurrency assets.
As reported earlier in June, illicit Bitcoin [BTC] giveaways from channels claiming to belong to SpaceX or Elon Musk scammed users out of $150k. Lastly, scammers have attempted “double your money” cons targeted at users of VeChain VET tokens.
![U.S Department of Justice Reveals A Fraud Case Against 'Eastern Metal Securities’ [EMS].](https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/client/q_glossy,ret_img,w_120/https://etherdesk.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/imageedit_193_5494980853-120x86.jpg)
