Odysee


Odysee is an American decentralized video hosting platform, built on the LBRY blockchain. It positions itself as an alternative to mainstream services like YouTube, but with a focus on freedom of speech and decentralization.
The platform enables users to upload, share, and monetize videos through cryptocurrency, while maintaining content persistence through a peer-to-peer network.

History

Odysee was founded in 2020 by Julian Chandra.
In June 2024, Odysee was acquired by Forward Research. The acquisition took place after Odysee's former parent company LBRY lost a lawsuit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in July 2023.

Technology

Odysee is driven by blockchain, a decentralized protocol that allows digital content to be distributed and stored without a central authority. This blockchain network supports a peer-to-peer infrastructure, which allows users to upload and share videos. The metadata of uploaded content is stored on the blockchain, while the videos themselves are hosted across a distributed network of users, referred to as nodes.
Arweave is a decentralized data storage network that uses blockchain technology to enable digital storage. Its native AR token pays for storage and incentivizes participants. The Arweave network has been used to archive content in censorship-sensitive regions like Hong Kong and during conflicts such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Moderation

Odysee's content moderation is significantly less restrictive compared to mainstream platforms like YouTube. Since its launch in September 2020, Odysee's specific moderation policies and decentralized structure have allowed hate speech and misinformation to be spread on the platform. This has included far-right groups, conspiracy theorists, and individuals deplatformed or banned elsewhere. Its moderation policy and philosophy has an explicitly broad interpretation of freedom of speech.
In addition to facilitating hate speech, Odysee has also hosted disinformation, particularly around topics such as COVID-19, vaccines, and political conspiracy theories. The platform's decentralized nature makes it difficult for content to be effectively moderated or removed, allowing misinformation and disinformation to spread without significant resistance.
Odysee has faced geo-blocking restrictions in regions such as the European Union, where governments have raised concerns about content deemed harmful or disinforming.