4chan, one of the most controversial and influential websites on the internet, was shut down permanently on 1 June 2022, following a series of legal actions, cyberattacks, and public outrages.
Background
4chan was founded in 2003 by Christopher Poole, known online as “moot”, as an imageboard inspired by the Japanese website Futaba Channel. The site was initially focused on anime and manga, but soon expanded to various topics and subcultures, such as video games, politics, music, sports, and pornography. 4chan became notorious for its anonymous and unmoderated nature, which allowed users to post anything they wanted without registration or accountability. The site was also the birthplace of many internet memes, such as lolcats, rickrolling, Anonymous, and Pepe the Frog.
However, 4chan also attracted a lot of criticism and controversy for hosting and promoting illegal, violent, hateful, or disturbing content, such as child pornography, gore, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, harassment, doxing, hacking, trolling, conspiracy theories, misinformation, and propaganda. The site was often linked to various scandals and crimes, such as the Gamergate controversy, the Fappening leak of celebrity nude photos, the PizzaGate conspiracy theory, the Christchurch mosque shootings, and the QAnon movement.
Shutdown
The shutdown of 4chan was triggered by a series of events that occurred in late 2021 and early 2022.
- In October 2021, a user on 4chan claimed to have hacked into Hunter Biden’s iCloud account and posted several personal photos and videos of him on the site. The leak sparked a huge backlash from the media and the public, who accused 4chan of violating Biden’s privacy and security. The FBI launched an investigation into the incident and reportedly traced the hacker to an IP address in Russia
- In November 2021, Reddit banned several subreddits that were affiliated with or inspired by 4chan, such as r/The_Donald , r/Incels , r/WatchPeopleDie , r/ChapoTrapHouse , and r/GenderCritical , for violating its content policy on hate speech, violence, harassment, and misinformation. Reddit also announced that it would cooperate with law enforcement agencies to crack down on illegal or harmful content on its platform
- In December 2021, several internet service providers (ISPs) in India blocked access to 4chan as part of a nationwide censorship campaign against websites that were deemed to be offensive or harmful to national security. The Indian government also issued a warning to 4chan’s administrators to remove any content that violated Indian laws or faced legal action
- In January 2022, a massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack targeted 4chan’s servers and rendered the site inaccessible for several days. The attack was claimed by a hacker group called “Anonymous”, who said they were retaliating against 4chan for hosting and spreading hate speech, violence, and misinformation. The group also threatened to expose the personal information of 4chan’s users and moderators if they did not stop their activities.
- In February 2022, a lawsuit was filed against 4chan by several victims of cyberbullying and harassment who claimed that they suffered emotional distress and physical harm as a result of 4chan’s actions. The plaintiffs demanded compensation for their damages and an injunction to prevent 4chan from continuing its operations. The lawsuit also named Christopher Poole as a defendant and accused him of negligence and complicity in enabling 4chan’s behavior.
- In March 2022, Christopher Poole announced that he was stepping down as the owner and administrator of 4chan and handing over the site to a new team of moderators. Poole said he was tired of dealing with the legal troubles and public backlash that came with running 4chan and wanted to focus on other projects. He also apologized for any harm or offense that 4chan had caused over the years and hoped that the new team would improve the site’s reputation and quality.
- In April 2022, the new team of moderators announced that they were implementing several changes to 4chan’s rules and policies in order to make the site more safe and friendly for its users and visitors. They said they would ban any content that was illegal, violent, hateful, or disturbing; remove any personal information or doxing; enforce stricter moderation and verification; cooperate with law enforcement agencies; and promote positive and constructive discussions. They also said they would introduce a registration system that would require users to create an account and verify their identity before posting on the site.
- In May 2022, however, the changes were met with fierce resistance and backlash from many of 4chan’s loyal users who accused the new team of betraying 4chan’s original spirit and culture of anonymity and freedom. They said they would not comply with the new rules or register their accounts; instead they would boycott or sabotage the site by posting spam or offensive content; hack or attack the site’s servers; create alternative or mirror sites; or migrate to other platforms such as Telegram or Discord. They also said they would expose or harass the new team of moderators for their actions.
Conclusion
On June 1st , 2022 , after months of turmoil , conflict ,and pressure ,the new team of moderators announced that they were shutting down 4chan permanently . They said they could not handle the legal , technical , financial ,and social challenges that came with running the site . They also said they realized that 4chan had become a toxic and harmful place that was beyond repair or redemption . They apologized to anyone who was affected by 4chan ‘s content or behavior and thanked those who supported them . They also urged the users to respect their decision and move on with their lives.
The shutdown of 4chan marked the end of an era in internet history . For almost two decades , 4chan had been one of the most influential and controversial websites on the internet , shaping online culture , politics , and society . However , it had also been one of the most problematic and dangerous websites on the internet , spreading hate , violence , and misinformation . The fate of 4chan ‘s users , moderators , and content remains uncertain , as some may try to revive or replicate the site elsewhere , while others may abandon or regret their involvement . The legacy of 4chan will likely remain mixed , as some may remember it fondly , while others may condemn it harshly .
