BitChute

BitChute
Type of site
 Video hosting service
Available in English
Created by Ray Vahey
Website bitchute.com
Registration Optional
Launched January 3, 2017 (2017-01-03)
Current status Active

BitChute is a video hosting service that uses peer-to-peer technology.[1]

History

The company was founded by Ray Vahey. He described it as a way to avoid censorship and demonetisation by established services like YouTube.[1][2]

The BitChute logo used from 2017 to 2018

The first video on BitChute was posted on January 3, 2017. It was called "This is the first video on #BitChute", It was a sample video of a woman using a tablet. The video was uploaded to test the uploading process.[3]

In September 2017, conservative internet celebrity Lauren Southern said she was considering switching to the site in response to YouTube's demonetisation of political videos.[4] Southern automatically mirrors her YouTube channel on BitChute since March 23, 2017.[5]

In March 2018, the site was redesigned and got a new logo.

Technology

BitChute is based on the peer-to-peer WebTorrent system; a torrent program that can run in a web browser. Users watching a video also seed it. WebTorrent, despite similar functionally, is not compatible with BitTorrent.[6]

The BitChute website acts as a front end and portal for WebTorrent. When users upload a video it is converted to a WebTorrent and given a page on BitChute's website.

Reception

There has been conflict between Youtube and creators over the content of some videos uploaded. The company responded in some cases by banning creators, blocking their videos or channel demonetisation. In turn some creators, including popular creators such as "Computing Forever" (Dave Cullen)[7] and conservative ones have started Bitchute channels.[8][9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "BitChute is a BitTorrent-Powered YouTube Alternative". TorrentFreak. 2017-01-29. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  2. ↑ Beer, Doron. "iTWire - BitChute: the first serious YouTube competitor?". www.itwire.com. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  3. ↑ "This is the first video on #BitChute". BitChute. January 3, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  4. ↑ "'There's no one for right-wingers to pick a fight with': The far right is struggling to sustain interest in its social media platforms". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  5. ↑ Southern, Lauren (August 14, 2018). "Lauren Southern". BitChute. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  6. ↑ https://torrentfreak.com/bitchute-is-a-bittorrent-powered-youtube-alternative-170129/
  7. ↑ "Internet Archive Search: Dave Cullen". The Wayback Machine. The Internet Archive. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  8. ↑ "Right-Wing YouTubers Think It's Only A Matter Of Time Before They Get Kicked Off The Site".
  9. ↑ "Internet Archive Search: bitchute". The Wayback Machine. The Internet Archive. Retrieved 28 September 2018.


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