This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 85.119.199.9 (talk) at 12:40, 17 February 2015 (→Media attention: I've only corrected the board's names, they lacked slashes.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 12:40, 17 February 2015 by 85.119.199.9 (talk) (→Media attention: I've only corrected the board's names, they lacked slashes.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For other uses, see 8chan (disambiguation).
| File:InfiniteChan∞chanLogo.svgThe ∞chan logo of 8ch.net | |
| Type of site | Imageboard |
|---|---|
| Available in | English, Japanese (users can create language specific boards) |
| Owner | Fredrick Brennan |
| URL | 8ch |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | None available |
8chan (also called Infinitechan and stylized as ∞chan) is an English-language imageboard website composed of user-created boards. Each board is governed by its creator. Users generally post anonymously, with the most recent posts appearing above the rest. Registration is not required, nor is it possible (except for staff). An official Japanese-language variant is available by the name 8ch.
The site has received both praise and criticism for its stance on free speech with minimal restrictions. It allows any topic to be discussed, and all content to be posted, regardless of controversy. The only proviso is that all content posted must not violate United States law.
One of the site's boards has played an active role during the Gamergate controversy after the topic was banned on the unaffiliated website 4chan, resulting in a migration of users. As of January 2015, the site was the 8,389th most visited site in the world, receiving an average of 35,000 unique visitors per day and 400,000 posts per week.
History
8chan was created in October 2013 by computer programmer Fredrick Brennan, also known by the nickname "Hotwheels". Shortly prior in the summer of 2013, Brennan had relocated from Atlantic City to Brooklyn after receiving an offer to work as the lead programmer at a company that makes web-marketing projects for small businesses. The website was created after Brennan perceived rapidly escalating surveillance and a loss of free speech on the Internet. Brennan, who considers the imageboard 4chan to have grown into authoritarianism, describes 8chan as a "free-speech-friendly" alternative, and had originally conceptualized the site while experiencing a psychedelic mushrooms trip.
No experience or programming knowledge is necessary for users to create their own boards. Since as early as March 2014, its FAQ has stated only one rule that is to be globally enforced: "Do not post, request, or link to any content illegal in the United States of America. Do not create boards with the sole purpose of posting or spreading such content." In the opinion of Brennan, while he finds some of the content posted by users to be "reprehensible," feels personally obligated to uphold the site's integrity by tolerating discussion he doesn't necessarily support regardless of his moral stance. He argues that this premise is what makes 8chan unique, adding: "Once you get past all of the terrible content posted by teenagers to feel cool, you get to very interesting discussions and opinions that could simply not happen on Reddit or Facebook." Many of 8chan’s most active boards are based in political discussion.
Brennan agreed to partner 8chan with the Japanese message board 2channel and subsequently relocated to the Philippines in October 2014.
In January 2015, the site changed its domain 8chan.co to 8ch.net after multiple people filed reports complaining to 8chan’s registrar that the message board hosted child pornography. Despite regaining the domain, the site remained at 8ch.net, with the old domain redirecting to it.
Media attention
The Washington Post described it as "the more-lawless, more-libertarian, more 'free' follow-up to 4chan." Boards have been created to discuss controversial topics, including pedophilia, although the sharing of sexually explicit photos of minors is against site rules, per United States laws regarding child pornography. When asked whether such boards were an inevitable result of free speech, Brennan responded, "Unfortunately, yes. I don’t support the content on the boards you mentioned, but it is simply the cost of free speech and being the only active site to not impose more 'laws' than those that were passed in Washington, D.C."
On September 18, 2014, the website gained prominence in the GamerGate controversy after 4chan banned discussion of GamerGate, whereupon 8chan became a major hub of Gamergate activity. Initially called "/gg/", internal struggles with user administration forced Gamergate activists to migrate to "/gamergate/". The replacement quickly became the site's second most populous hangout while "/gg/" plummeted in visitor frequency.
In January 2015 the site was used as a base for swatting exploits in Portland, Seattle, and Burnaby, British Columbia, most of them tied to the victims' criticism of Gamergate and 8chan's association with it; the attacks were coordinated on a board on the website called "/baphomet/". One of the victims of a swatting attack said she was singled out because she followed someone on Twitter. On February 9, 2015, contents on the baphomet subboard were wiped after personal infomation of Katherine Forrest, the presiding judge in the Silk Road case, had been posted there.
See also
References
- ^ "8ch.net Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
- ^ Brennan, Fredrick. "FAQ". 8chan.co. Infinitechan. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- Brennan, Fredrik. "∞chan". 8ch.net (in Japanese). 8c. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- ^ Howell O'Neill, Patrick (November 17, 2014). "8chan, the central hive of Gamergate, is also an active pedophile network". The Daily Dot.
- ^ Caldwell, Don (October 9, 2014). "Q&A with Fredrick Brennan of 8chan". Know Your Meme. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- "A day in the life of a man with brittle bone disease". Al Jazeera.
- ^ Caitlin, Dewey (January 13, 2014). "This is what happens when you create an online community without any rules". The Washington Post.
- ^ Chen, Adrian (October 27, 2014). "Gamergate Supporters Partied at a Strip Club This Weekend". New York (magazine).
- Audureau, William (October 15, 2014). "4chan, wizardchan, 8chan... s'y retrouver dans la jungle des forums anonymes les plus populaires du Web". Le Monde (in French). France.
- ^ Bernstein, Joseph (December 4, 2014). "GamerGate's Headquarters Has Been Destroyed By Trolls". Buzzfeed.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Hern, Alex (January 13, 2015). "Gamergate hits new low with attempts to send Swat teams to critics". The Guardian. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- Mattise, Nathan (January 4, 2015). "8chan tries "swatting" GamerGate critic, sends cops to an old address". Ars Technica.
- McElroy, Justin (January 15, 2015). "Police falsely called to Burnaby women's home by online harassers". Global News. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- Eagland, Nick (January 13, 2015). "It's '100 per cent terrorism': Burnaby victim decries Internet 'swatting' that brought Mounties to her door". The Province. Vancouver: Postmedia Network. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- Cheong, Ian Miles (January 13, 2015). "Canadian Victim of Gamergate SWATing Attempt Comes Forward". Gameranx. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- Machkovech, Sam (February 12, 2015). "Notorious 8chan "subboard" has history wiped after federal judge's doxing". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 13, 2015.