Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has sued the video-sharing giant YouTube and its parent company Google for allegedly allowing scams via bitcoin giveaways using images of him or people who have a similarity to him, to thrive on the its platform.
A new lawsuit against YouTube
Wozniak was one of 18 plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit last week in which, in addition to damages, he is asking for a measure for YouTube to remove all scams and promotions of the bitcoin giveaway type - here the quotation - in which Wozniak's name and image were used.
The lawsuit praised Twitter for acting "quickly and decisively" in closing malicious accounts and "protecting its users from scam" by referring to the platform's response to this month's coordinated cyberattack, through which a group of hackers obtained access to a number of verified Twitter accounts and posted an encrypted message.
Wozniak isn't the first to act against YouTube for crypto scams. Earlier this year, Ripple Labs, along with CEO Brad Garlinghouse, sued the platform for scams with the usual technique of fake XRP giveaways that were causing monetary and reputation damage to the company.
Woznik: YouTube and Google accomplices of the scammers
According to the new complaint filed with the Superior Court of the State of California, in San Mateo County, YouTube "highlighted a constant flow of videos and promotions of scams that illicitly use images and videos of the plaintiff Steve Wozniak and other famous technology entrepreneurs , scamming YouTube users for millions of dollars. "
The lawsuit alleged that the images and similarities of other well-known entrepreneurs, including Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Michael Dell, were also exploited in these scams. According to the screenshots attached to the complaint, the scams involving Wozniak use images and videos that tell users that the entrepreneur will participate in a live "BTC" giveaway event.
The lawsuit claims that the posts "persuade" users to transfer their cryptocurrency by promising that, after a limited period of time, "they will receive twice as much in return". "YOUTUBE and GOOGLE took the further step of promoting and profiting from these scams by providing paid advertisements that targeted users who were most likely to be harmed," said the lawsuit.
Wozniak is accusing the defendants YouTube and Google of violating the right to advertising, of misappropriating his name and image, as well as of helping and favoring fraud and negligent inability to protect users.
"The defendants 'inability to warn users was intentional, mischievous, oppressive, fraudulent and / or risky non-compliance with the plaintiffs' rights, thus entitling the plaintiffs to request punitive damages," he said in the case. Wozniak requests a trial by the jury on all reliable issues and damages that include legal fees and any "gain, profit or advantage wrongly obtained by the defendants".
