# What is LBRY?

![](../../settings/themes/OldSchool/icons/lbry.png) LBRY (aka Odysee) has started as decentralized alternative to YouTube. But the system made it possible to upload any file. So it's a publication platform for any type of publisher. Videos are just the most popular file type on the platform. 

Content:
 - [Problems with Youtube](#problems-with-youtube)
 - [Decentralization](#decentralization)
 - [LBC Credits](#lbc-credits)

# Problems with Youtube

YouTube has a lot of problems. Partly because it's a part of Google. And Google it self already has a lot of problems. You can read [this article](https://stallman.org/google.html) about Google's evils by Richard Stallman to get an idea.

**YouTube's business model is to Disrespect people.** There is nothing inherently bad in having advertisements on your platform. For example if a movie has product placement. Or a video has a sponsored section. There is not a lot of harm in this kind of advertisement to the viewer.

Even ads that are build into the site are not really a big deal as an idea. But the way they are done is the problem. I don't know if you realize it or not. In order for YouTube to show you ads it needs to know what are your types of interest. So the ad could be targeted at you specifically.

In the big tech world they see it as a feature. When it's actually a bug. In order for them to know what you like. And what ads to show to you. They need to track your every move. And parse this data through an algorithm. This way Google ( and YouTube with it ) know about you more then you know about yourself.

Their recommendations page, and the search results are also heavily influenced by this data.

They became very good at manufacturing consent. Their PR agents are coming up daily with ways to reduce apparent harm done by their system of income. They argue that the data they collect will not be misused. When anything collected could be misused. Think about it this way. There are laws. Are there no criminals? If they put rules on how to use the data. Even laws. Still there will be somebody misusing it illegally.

**Non-Free Software.** YouTube requires viewers to run non-free software to view the videos. Now you probably saying. "But I can view it in Firefox. And Firefox is free software." It's like arguing that Skype is free software because it can be installed on GNU / Linux.

![](../../settings/themes/OldSchool/icons/question.png) [What is Free Software?](../../wiki/extra/FreeSoftware.md)

Web sites today send small programs along with the pages. They are usually written in JavaScripts. The page it self is a document. Which has nothing bad in it. But the JavaScript code is a program. Which can be either free or non-free.

Now you probably asking me. But I can read the source code. Isn't that what makes it free? No it's not enough to have access to the source code. You have to have a legal license to change and redistribute this source code. And to run it for what ever purpose. And most of them do not provide you with a Free Software license. That makes them non-free.

[LibreJS](https://www.gnu.org/software/librejs/) is a good way to solve this problem. It looks for a license inside each JavaScript file. And blocks non-free ones from running. This has it's own problem tho. Some developers are kind of lazy. For example GitLab is a free software site. Which has a license to all the site at ones. But not in the individual JavaScript documents. LibreJS fails the site. But knowing that it's all free, generally it's okay to `Whitelist` the entire site inside LibreJS. *But complaining to the site owners still worth it.*

LBRY unfortunately has not put a license on each and every JavaScript file yet. So Odysee has to be whitelisted in LibreJS. [But they are working on it.](https://github.com/lbryio/lbry-desktop/issues/5327) 

**Censorship.** YouTube is a centralized publication platform. Meaning there is a central authority that decides what can be on the platform and what can't. It's not necessarily a big deal if the platform owners do not care about their powers. But we all know that as soon as somebody gets power, they gonna use it. YouTube blocks channels for political views. Demonetizes those who promote Free Software. And deletes those who talk about CryptoCurrencies.

*A video about it from Bryan Lunduke.*

[![](https://lbry2.vanwanet.com/speech/2e59112b085c3fd9:f.png)](https://odysee.com/@Lunduke:e/LeaveYouTubeForOdysee:7)

![](../../settings/themes/OldSchool/icons/lbry.png) *Click on the image to view in Odysee.com* or ![](../../settings/themes/OldSchool/icons/video.png) [Download Video](https://cdn.lbryplayer.xyz/api/v4/streams/free/LeaveYouTubeForOdysee/7c42456cb6e83722d720e08d45eafe82e52df852/667f6b)

# Decentralization

LBRY is not a web site. [Odysee.com](https://odysee.com) is a web site. There is also the [LBRY application](https://lbry.com). Both talking to the same underlying, decentralized publication system. Which is based on the block-chain technology. Meaning there is no central server for the publications. All publications are stored in multiple places controlled by different people that don't need to even know about each other's existence. This is resistant to censorship.

This doesn't mean things like DMCA will not effect the platform. They can make a complaint to Odysee.com for example. And they will delete the video from their server. And block on their site. But you will still have alternative applications where the video is not blocked. In the desktop application is much better. Since there is no web site. And if a single node still has the publication. You can access it.

# LBC Credits

![](../../settings/themes/OldSchool/icons/lbc.png) LBC credits are a traditional CryptoCurrency build into the LBRY protocol. Think about it as another BitCoin clone. But with file sharing too. Every user of the LBRY system basically has an LBC wallet. Publication of content costs some trivial amount of LBCs. But people can Support your work by clicking the support button. Which will give you LBCs for publishing more.

For verified accounts there is a reward program. Basically for various activity and achievement in the LBRY system you can get various amounts of LBCs.

All these LBCs are a CrytoCurrency which you can exchange for real world money. Meaning LBRY has a way better business model then YouTube.

# Odysee

[Odysee.com](https://odysee.com) is a web-based front end to LBRY, similar to LBRY Desktop, but running in a browser. Originally they had spee.ch then moved to lbry.tv and later to Odysee.com. The reason to name it Odysee came from an attempt to avoid confusion between the LBRY as a protocol and LBRY as a website.

By the time of me typing this lbry.tv still operates. But in a last stages of closing down. But since Odysee and lbry.tv share the same accounts. This is not a big deal. 

Also by the time of writing it. If you change any publication url from `odysee.com` to `spee.ch` it will redirect you to the raw file of the publication. This is an easy way to download any publication from the protocol.

For more information about LBRY:

 - [lbry.com](https://lbry.com)
 - [lbry.tech](https://lbry.tech)
 - [lbry on Github](https://github.com/lbryio/)
 - [odysee.com](https://odysee.com)


# Help The Documentation

The documentation files are not perfect. And need maintenance.

*If you are reading it from the VCStudio build in Documentation:*

 - Press ![](../../settings/themes/OldSchool/icons/edit.png) to edit locally.
 - Press ![](../../settings/themes/OldSchool/icons/notabug.png) to commit in our NotABug repository.

*(C) J.Y.Amihud 2021. Under GPL v3 or later.*
