Apple continues to move against cryptocurrencies, removing the number four ranked podcast on the US iTunes store. The podcast, called “Off the Chain,” is hosted by Anthony Pompliano, Morgan Creek Digital partner.
Pompliano, a crypto analyst, quickly turned to Twitter to voice his frustration.
“Last week we released a podcast discussing the ultimate argument for Bitcoin. It exploded & ranked #4 in US investing category before mysteriously being taken down by @Apple. We had no warning. We don’t know why. They took down our podcast, but they can’t take down Bitcoin!,” he tweeted.
The tweet received over 3,600 likes and over 900 retweets from traders that listened to the podcast for news and insights into cryptocurrencies.
The podcast focused on Bitcoin and held interviews with some of the biggest names in the industry. The podcast explains why Bitcoin is important and how central banks need to start considering cryptocurrencies. The podcast also caused fear for some investors, claiming that all fiat currencies are doomed to fall.
He originally stated that he had contacted numerous teams at Apple with no reply.
The app’s removal made it unsearchable in the iTunes store, yet people that had previously played episodes were able to listen to them on their private devices. The podcast remained active on Spotify, Google Play and other services at the time.
Initial outrage over the podcast’s removal led to many theories on why the podcast was removed. This move led some to believe that the podcast was removed for “keyword stuffing,” which is a way that app developers add keywords to their app’s description in an attempt to come up for more keywords in the search results.
Fans of the podcast started to email Apple, asking why the podcast was removed. Media outlets picked up the story, too.
The podcast has since been reinstated, according to Pompliano, and can be found in the iTunes store. The podcast is free and currently has over 26 episodes which date back to August.
Apple has been known for taking action against Bitcoin, especially apps that want to offer any form of currency. These apps cannot complete many common tasks, such as allowing the user to leave the app store to post about the app on social media or leave reviews.
Mac users have been prohibited from mining cryptocurrencies on their devices, through terms that claim “Apps should not rapidly drain battery, generate excessive heat, or put unnecessary strain on device resources. Apps, including any third-party advertisements displayed within them, may not run unrelated background processes, such as cryptocurrency mining.”
