Kim Dotcom's extradition hearing will be 'live' streamed on YouTube
Kim Dotcom has never been a man to shy away from the public eye, and his upcoming trial is not going to see that change. Facing extradition to the US where he faces numerous charges, Dotcom has won the right to have the hearing live streamed on YouTube.
It's fair to say that there will be a good deal of interest in the content and outcome of the hearing, but the judge who agreed to the live streaming has insisted that a few restrictions be put in place. Firstly there will be a 20-minute delay (so not technically a 'live' stream), and comments will be disabled as well.
The 20-minute delay is double the usual 10 minutes required when live streaming from New Zealand court, but there is another restriction which is likely to upset both Dotcom and his followers. The judge has ruled that footage of the hearing may not remain online once the case is complete.
The lack of commenting is something that will disappoint most people, but as Kim Dotcom already has a huge following on Twitter, it's hard to imagine that this isn’t where the bulk of commentary will take place. Dotcom himself is very pleased with the live streaming 'win' and took to Twitter to celebrate:
Live streaming of my hearing is a milestone. We're breaking new ground. Please treat the court with respect. Let's make this the new normal.
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 30, 2016
The win is particularly sweet as there had been strong US opposition to the idea of live streaming the hearing. But Dotcom's lawyer argued that there was concern that he would not receive a fair trial, hence the importance of allowing a global audience to view the hearing -- albeit with limiting controls in place.
Photo credit: Kim Dotcom