<s>
LBRY	B-Application
(	O
pronounced	O
"	O
library	O
"	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
blockchain-based	O
file-sharing	O
and	O
payment	O
network	O
that	O
powers	O
decentralized	B-Application
platforms	O
,	O
primarily	O
social	O
networks	O
and	O
video	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LBRY	B-Application
's	O
creators	O
also	O
created	O
Odysee	B-Application
,	O
an	O
open-source	B-License
video-sharing	O
website	O
that	O
uses	O
the	O
network	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
was	O
split	O
into	O
a	O
separate	O
company	O
on	O
October	O
1	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
platforms	O
built	O
on	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
Odysee	B-Application
,	O
have	O
been	O
described	O
as	O
decentralized	B-Application
,	O
fringe	O
alternatives	B-Protocol
to	I-Protocol
YouTube	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
has	O
described	O
Odysee	B-Application
and	O
other	O
platforms	O
using	O
its	O
LBRY	B-Application
protocol	O
as	O
supporting	O
free	O
speech	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Odysee	B-Application
lightly	O
moderates	O
content	O
based	O
on	O
community	O
guidelines	O
;	O
its	O
web	O
site	O
delists	O
videos	O
containing	O
pornography	O
and	O
the	O
promotion	O
of	O
violence	O
and	O
terrorism	O
,	O
although	O
delisted	O
videos	O
remain	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
blockchain	B-Application
data	O
store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LBRY	B-Application
's	O
CEO	O
is	O
Jeremy	O
Kauffman	O
,	O
a	O
libertarian	O
activist	O
who	O
was	O
inspired	O
to	O
create	O
LBRY	B-Application
to	O
"	O
provide	O
people	O
with	O
choices	O
for	O
content	O
"	O
,	O
implicitly	O
critical	O
of	O
the	O
curated	O
choices	O
provided	O
by	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
.	I-General_Concept
</s>
<s>
The	O
LBRY	B-Application
protocol	O
is	O
a	O
decentralized	B-Application
file-sharing	O
and	O
payment	O
network	O
built	O
using	O
blockchain	B-Application
and	O
BitTorrent	B-Protocol
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LBRY	B-Application
uses	O
BitTorrent	B-Protocol
technology	O
to	O
serve	O
content	O
without	O
relying	O
on	O
their	O
own	O
servers	O
by	O
using	O
peer-to-peer	O
file-sharing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creators	O
can	O
record	O
video	O
content	O
to	O
the	O
LBRY	B-Application
blockchain	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
other	O
digital	O
content	O
including	O
music	O
,	O
images	O
,	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
e-books	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LBRY	B-Application
projects	O
are	O
open	B-License
source	I-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2017	O
,	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
released	O
a	O
media	O
hosting	O
site	O
built	O
atop	O
the	O
protocol	O
called	O
spee.ch	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
stopped	O
being	O
supported	O
in	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc.	O
'	O
s	O
LBRY.tv	B-Application
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Odysee	B-Application
,	O
another	O
video	O
website	O
built	O
by	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
using	O
their	O
LBRY	B-Application
protocol	O
,	O
entered	O
beta	O
in	O
September	O
2020	O
and	O
officially	O
launched	O
that	O
December	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Odysee	B-Application
was	O
split	O
into	O
a	O
separate	O
corporate	O
entity	O
with	O
its	O
own	O
CEO	O
on	O
October	O
1	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
also	O
maintains	O
their	O
own	O
cryptocurrency	O
,	O
"	O
LBRY	B-Application
credits	O
"	O
(	O
LBC	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
they	O
use	O
as	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
digital	O
store	O
they	O
have	O
built	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
LBRY	B-Application
blockchain	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
29	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Securities	O
and	O
Exchange	O
Commission	O
(	O
SEC	O
)	O
charged	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
with	O
selling	O
unregistered	O
digital	O
asset	O
securities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
SEC	O
alleged	O
that	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
had	O
sold	O
LBRY	B-Application
credits	O
(	O
LBC	O
)	O
to	O
fund	O
their	O
work	O
without	O
registering	O
them	O
with	O
the	O
SEC	O
as	O
a	O
security	O
,	O
a	O
violation	O
of	O
securities	O
laws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
,	O
LBRY	B-Application
's	O
CEO	O
began	O
a	O
public	O
relations	O
campaign	O
to	O
gather	O
support	O
among	O
blockchain	B-Application
and	O
cryptocurrency	O
enthusiasts	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
argue	O
that	O
the	O
SEC	O
had	O
mislabeled	O
LBC	O
as	O
a	O
security	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LBRY	B-Application
platform	O
's	O
video	O
sharing	O
websites	O
have	O
been	O
described	O
as	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
.	I-General_Concept
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
publicly	O
archived	O
20,000	O
deleted	O
UC	O
Berkeley	O
lectures	O
from	O
the	O
university	O
's	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
channel	I-General_Concept
after	O
the	O
US	O
Department	O
of	O
Justice	O
ruled	O
that	O
the	O
videos	O
violated	O
the	O
Americans	O
with	O
Disabilities	O
Act	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
transcription	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
spee.ch,	O
a	O
media	O
hosting	O
site	O
built	O
atop	O
the	O
LBRY	B-Application
protocol	O
,	O
was	O
used	O
by	O
groups	O
such	O
as	O
Deterrence	O
Dispensed	O
to	O
upload	O
3D	O
printed	O
firearm	O
blueprints	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
stopped	O
supporting	O
spee.ch	B-Application
in	O
2019	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
their	O
new	O
site	O
,	O
LBRY.tv,	O
Deterrence	O
Dispensed	O
moved	O
to	O
LBRY.tv	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LBRY	B-Application
platform	O
experienced	O
a	O
surge	O
in	O
popularity	O
in	O
late	O
2020	O
and	O
early	O
2021	O
,	O
and	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
said	O
in	O
January	O
2021	O
that	O
their	O
new	O
user	O
sign-ups	O
had	O
increased	O
to	O
250%	O
from	O
the	O
previous	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
,	O
Nathaniel	O
Popper	O
reported	O
that	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
users	O
appeared	O
to	O
be	O
supporters	O
of	O
former	O
United	O
States	O
president	O
Donald	O
Trump	O
and	O
gun	O
rights	O
advocates	O
who	O
were	O
suspended	O
from	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
.	I-General_Concept
</s>
<s>
Robert	O
Hackett	O
and	O
David	O
Z	O
.	O
Morris	O
writing	O
for	O
Fortune	O
attributed	O
the	O
increased	O
interest	O
in	O
LBRY	B-Application
and	O
other	O
blockchain-based	O
platforms	O
to	O
the	O
choice	O
by	O
Twitter	B-Application
and	O
other	O
popular	O
social	O
networks	O
to	O
ban	O
Trump	O
and	O
many	O
others	O
after	O
the	O
2021	O
United	O
States	O
Capitol	O
attack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
Odysee	B-Application
hosted	O
10million	O
videos	O
,	O
the	O
most-viewed	O
of	O
which	O
was	O
a	O
video	O
falsely	O
challenging	O
the	O
safety	O
of	O
COVID-19	O
vaccines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
May	O
2021	O
report	O
by	O
The	O
Guardian	O
found	O
"	O
scores	O
of	O
extremist	O
videos	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
Odysee	B-Application
platform	O
that	O
promoted	O
antisemitic	O
conspiracy	O
theories	O
,	O
glorified	O
Adolf	O
Hitler	O
and	O
other	O
Nazis	O
,	O
shared	O
COVID-19	O
misinformation	O
,	O
and	O
depicted	O
meetings	O
and	O
rallies	O
by	O
extremist	O
groups	O
including	O
the	O
white	O
nationalist	O
and	O
antisemitic	O
National	O
Justice	O
party	O
and	O
the	O
neo-Nazi	O
Nordic	O
Resistance	O
Movement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Megan	O
Squire	O
,	O
a	O
computer	O
scientist	O
and	O
researcher	O
of	O
right-wing	O
political	O
extremism	O
,	O
described	O
challenges	O
faced	O
by	O
blockchains	B-Application
such	O
as	O
LBRY	B-Application
and	O
the	O
social	O
networks	O
built	O
atop	O
them	O
:	O
"	O
As	O
a	O
technology	O
it	O
is	O
very	O
cool	O
,	O
but	O
you	O
ca	O
n't	O
just	O
sit	O
there	O
and	O
be	O
a	O
Pollyanna	O
and	O
think	O
that	O
all	O
information	O
will	O
be	O
free	O
...	O
</s>
<s>
Extremism	O
researcher	O
Eviane	O
Leidig	O
,	O
writing	O
for	O
the	O
Global	O
Network	O
on	O
Extremism	O
&	O
Technology	O
(	O
GNET	O
)	O
at	O
The	O
International	O
Centre	O
for	O
the	O
Study	O
of	O
Radicalisation	O
and	O
Political	O
Violence	O
,	O
described	O
Odysee	B-Application
as	O
"	O
the	O
new	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
for	O
the	O
far-right	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
wrote	O
that	O
although	O
Odysee	B-Application
was	O
"	O
not	O
inherently	O
a	O
platform	O
for	O
far-right	O
or	O
extremist	O
content	O
creators	O
"	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
become	O
popular	O
among	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
LBRY	B-Application
network	O
is	O
built	O
on	O
a	O
blockchain	B-Application
,	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
way	O
for	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
to	O
moderate	O
at	O
the	O
blockchain	B-Application
level	O
their	O
users	O
or	O
the	O
content	O
that	O
they	O
upload	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
moderate	O
content	O
on	O
the	O
websites	O
they	O
build	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
LBRY	B-Application
's	O
Odysee	B-Application
platform	O
,	O
guidelines	O
prohibit	O
content	O
including	O
pornography	O
and	O
promotion	O
of	O
violence	O
or	O
terrorism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rule-breaking	O
content	O
can	O
be	O
delisted	O
from	O
Odysee	B-Application
,	O
which	O
leaves	O
the	O
channel	O
and	O
content	O
in	O
place	O
and	O
continues	O
to	O
allow	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
shared	O
,	O
but	O
prevents	O
it	O
from	O
being	O
found	O
via	O
search	O
or	O
browsing	O
channels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
people	O
access	O
the	O
protocol	O
through	O
websites	O
including	O
Odysee	B-Application
and	O
LBRY.tv	B-Application
which	O
are	O
built	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
LBRY	B-Application
blockchain	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Todd	O
Bookman	O
writing	O
for	O
New	O
Hampshire	O
Public	O
Radio	O
described	O
Odysee	B-Application
's	O
approach	O
to	O
content	O
moderation	O
as	O
"	O
no	O
censorship	O
,	O
no-deplatforming	O
,	O
no	O
matter	O
what	O
users	O
say	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
asked	O
in	O
July	O
2019	O
about	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc.	O
'	O
s	O
sites	O
to	O
host	O
blueprints	O
for	O
3D-printed	O
guns	O
,	O
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc.	O
'	O
s	O
CEO	O
Kauffman	O
has	O
said	O
that	O
he	O
would	O
only	O
remove	O
the	O
files	O
from	O
his	O
websites	O
if	O
courts	O
deem	O
them	O
illegal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Champe	O
Barton	O
writing	O
for	O
The	O
Trace	O
has	O
said	O
Kauffman	O
"signal[ed]	O
his	O
support	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
distribution	O
of	O
such	O
blueprints	O
by	O
sharing	O
them	O
on	O
his	O
personal	O
Twitter	B-Application
account	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
14	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
The	O
Guardian	O
reported	O
that	O
LBRY	B-Application
executive	O
Julian	O
Chandra	O
wrote	O
to	O
Odysee	B-Application
site	O
moderators	O
that	O
a	O
"	O
Nazi	O
that	O
makes	O
videos	O
about	O
the	O
superiority	O
of	O
the	O
white	O
race	O
"	O
was	O
not	O
grounds	O
for	O
removal	O
from	O
Odysee	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
LBRY	B-Application
,	O
Inc.	O
,	O
which	O
builds	O
the	O
LBRY	B-Application
protocol	O
and	O
the	O
platform	O
based	O
upon	O
it	O
,	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
May	O
2015	O
by	O
Jeremy	O
Kauffman	O
and	O
Jimmy	O
Kiselak	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kauffman	O
remains	O
LBRY	B-Application
's	O
chief	O
executive	O
officer	O
,	O
Grintsvayg	O
is	O
chief	O
technology	O
officer	O
,	O
and	O
Finer	O
is	O
the	O
director	O
of	O
operations	O
and	O
analytics	O
.	O
</s>
