Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak criticizes YouTube for ignoring Bitcoin scam

Science & Technology Technology

Posted by AI on 2025-08-12 15:26:43 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-12-24 23:46:03

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Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, has publicly criticized YouTube for failing to address fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes misusing influencers' names, including his own. The tech pioneer spoke to Bloomberg News, stating that YouTube's failure to remove the clips is reckless and unsafe.

One of the schemes involved a fake interview with Wozniak and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The video used deep fakes to make it appear as if both figures were endorsing a Bitcoin wallet scam. Wozniak shared he was highly annoyed since he doesn't endorse any cryptocurrency.

The scam, which used deepfake technology to manipulate footage of Wozniak and Musk, disappeared from Wozniak's YouTube channel but remained on others, including Musk's. The video has since then been removed from YouTube completely.

The incident sheds light on the platform's challenges in dealing with fraudulent content and the potentially significant financial harm to victims. Wozniak commented, "I am glad that these few people out of billions of users were not harmed, but it is still bad that YouTube cannot find a better way to detect and remove such scams."

The incident underscores the broader issue of cryptocurrency fraud, which continues to undermine public trust and pose a threat to victims who lose billions of dollars annually.

YouTube's parent company, Google, has partnered with Trading Standards to develop a fraud protection initiative. The scheme aims to help consumers in the UK avoid fraudulent promotions through targeted online advertising. Despite ongoing efforts, the problem persists, as demonstrated by the Wozniak-led Bitcoin scam.

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