YouTube, TroopTube Go To War

Video infrastructure site Delve Networks launched TroopTube in partnership with the Department of Defense a few days ago as a more secure alternative to YouTube, which the DoD banned in 2007. TroopTube is basically Youtube, but without the embedding feature, and the DoD has moderation and censorship controls.

Now Delve Networks CEO says Google is up to no good, trying to convince the DoD that TroopTube won’t scale, and that YouTube’s exclusive arrangement with Barack Obama means the troops won’t be able to watch the president’s weekly talks. “Google is trying to attack TroopTube,” he says.

The email is below, and we’re following up with Google for a comment.

I should not be telling you this and will get in big trouble with the DoD, but it is just too interesting to not mention.

Today, I was informed that Google is trying to attack TroopTube by telling all sorts of technical lies about Delve’s ability to scale. Apparently, they don’t really understand the cloud computing thing.

They also claim that because Barrack Obama is posting his presidential messages on YouTube and not TroopTube that the troops wont be able to get video from the president and that is another reason for the DoD to cancel the TroopTube project.

So much for do no evil. I guess Google would rather have troops be unable to get videos from their loved ones this Thanksgiving.