Explained: The demise of notorious online message board 4chan
While social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, now (X), Instagram, Reddit and Snapchat are still thriving despite being around for so long, the ugly duckling 4chan has seen a sharp decline since the 2010s.
The online message board was initially a quaint place where people were able to chat about their interests and share images, but it almost inevitably became a den for more extreme content.
Advertisement
For every harmless post about anime, there were countless from far-right groups or involuntary celibate (incels) spreading hate online.
How did it all start, and how did it get like this? Here is everything you need to know about 4chan's demise.
When was 4chan created?
Created in 2003 by American software developer Christopher 'moot' Poole. The idea was to recreate an English language version of the popular Japanese site Futaba Channel, also known as 2chan.
That is a year before Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg and his roommates, and three years before Twitter came online.
Advertisement
It was primarily a place for people to talk and share things about anime, but it grew to become a haven for various subcultures.
It was particularly influential in the creation of meme culturewith jokes often originating on 4chan and then spreading elsewhere on the internet.
Much like Reddit, you can search for particular topics that interest you and get involved in discussions. The lack of moderation and the fact that users were anonymous, while good for users, ended up becoming 4chan's Achilles' heel.
Why is it so controversial?
Over the years, the messaging board has come under serious scrutiny for some of the content posted on the site.
Advertisement
In 2004, a board was created on the site which had child sexual abuse images posted on it. Seeing as the site's domain was hosted by GoDaddy, they suspended the domain name.
Off the back of this, the site was down for six weeks in the summer of 2004 after PayPal suspended donations to the site, given the content that was allowed on it.
While 4chan continues to operate to this day, it has never shaken its image of being a place where people were able to post obscene content on the site without much repercussions.
It has also been seen as a haven for the far-right and the incel community with a some saying the managing moderator even attempted to use the site as a recruitment tool for the alt-right.
Advertisement
A screenshot from the 4Chan.org /b/message board where people can only post images anonymously..
In January 2011, Poole announced the deletion of the /r9k/ ("ROBOT9000") and News boards, saying it had become devoted to racist discussions and no longer served its original purpose.
In 2014, the site became embroiled in the Gamergate saga, which was a vendetta of harassment against women in gaming. It resulted in "bomb threats, death threats" against certain women.
With all of this controversy, Poole would step down as the site's administrator on January 21st, 2015. He later announced that Hiroyuki Nishimura (former 2chan admin) had purchased the ownership rights to 4chan from him.
Why has 4chan been in the news lately?
A mere 14 days ago, according to posts circulating online, 4chan had been hacked.
Advertisement
Some of the posts said the hacker involved had revealed identifying details of the site's moderators to the public.
The alleged hack first came to light when a defunct section of the site sprang back to life with the words "U GOT HACKED" emblazoned across the top, according to Wired magazine.
Alon Gal, co-founder of Israeli cybercrime monitoring company Hudson Rock, said the claim of a hack "looks legit," citing the publicly circulating screenshots purporting to show 4chan's backend infrastructure.
Ireland
Irish incels: 'Their world view is their situation...
Read More
The publication TechCrunch cited an unnamed 4chan moderator as saying they had no reason to dispute the authenticity of the screenshots, and the site was only intermittently available on Tuesday.
Messages sent to 4chan's press email went unreturned. One of the two dozen or so alleged moderators purportedly exposed in the hack wrote back using their 4chan email address to say that the site had released a "video statement."
With the site currently only back up a day or so since the hack, it is unclear what will happen with the beleaguered messaging site, with many saying they should just keep offline for good.
Additional reporting Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
33 minutes ago
- ITV News
Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen meet up in Liverpool during flying visit to LIPA
Music legends Sir Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen have met up as The Boss prepares to perform the second of two shows at Anfield as part of his current UK tour. The pair were visiting Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) on Mount Street, which Macca co-founded. Springsteen, 75, has made no secret of his admiration for the Fab Four, crediting the Beatles with heavily shaping his musical tastes, and he h's described performing on Merseyside as the fulfilment of a long-held dream. Members of the E-Street band Max Weinberg and Steven Van Zandt were also spotted making their way into LIPA through the crowds outside, all of which has fuelled wild speculation about whether Sir Paul will join Bruce on stage at Saturday night's concert. If he does it would not be the first time the pair have played together, with Springsteen joining Sir Paul on stage as a special guest during the 82-year-old's headline set at Glastonbury Festival in 2022. They also met up for additional gigs at Hyde Park and at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Growing up as a teenager in New Jersey as the Beatles took the USA by storm with a legendary appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, The Boss told audiences at Anfield: "It is great for us to be in Liverpool where, for us, it all began." As an additional nod to the Beatles he performed a version of Twist and Shout in the encore. Originally sung by The Top Notes the classic became synonymous with The Beatles when they released a cover version in 1963, and Springsteen has often played it on live shows previously. However, Wednesday's performance was just the second time the song has featured on the Land Of Hope and Dreams tour setlist so far. The power of the iconic venue itself was not lost on the American star, referencing Liverpool FC 's Premier League title win this season as he told the crowd: "'Come on! Is this the house of champions or what?'' Never afraid to speak his mind, the Boss also continued his war of words with President Donald Trump. Before he opened the show with My Love Will Not Let You Down, he said: "The America I love and have sung to you about for so long, a beacon of hope for 250 years, is currently in hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration. "Tonight we ask all of you who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices, stand with us against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!' Before Rainmaker, he said: "When conditions in a country are ripe for a demagogue, you can bet one will show up. This is for America's dear leader." Ahead of House of A Thousand Guitars, he said: 'The last check on power, after the checks and balances have failed, are the people. That's all that's left. "It's in the union of people around a common set of values. That's all that stands between democracy and authoritarianism.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
5 Father's Day gift ideas for gamers – presents to get your gamer dad
Struggling for gift ideas for the gamer dad in your life? Here are five potential presents that could go down really well! Father's Day is nearing, and if you haven't nailed down a present yet for the gamer dad in your life, we have some ideas for you to consider. What do you get for the dad who has everything? That's normally the question that comes up every year ahead of Father's Day, but if your dad is a gamer, there's good news, because there is always something they don't have that they probably really, really want! I can't guarantee he'll love all of the gift ideas below, but it should at least give you a few pointers about which direction to go! Here are five Father's Day gift ideas for gamer dads, at a variety of price points, albeit most are quite pricey (spoiler alert: gaming is an expensive hobby!). Introducing All Out Gaming, a dedicated gaming brand providing the best gaming news, reviews, previews, interviews and more! Make sure you don't miss out on our latest high-quality videos on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook, where we'll be posting our latest reviews, previews, interviews, and live streams! You can also subscribe to our free All Out Gaming newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories. Father's Day gift ideas for gamer dads Keychron K2 HE keyboard Keychron's latest offering is perfect for gamer dads, particularly because it doesn't really look like a gaming keyboard! Its sleek, classic and smart design won't look out of place in an office environment, with natural rosewood featured along the side being a really nice and unique design touch. But don't be fooled, because the K2 HE features Gateron double-rail magnetic switches, with customisable actuation points and dynamic rapid triggers, as well as SA profile double-shot PBT keycaps, making it perfect for sweaty gaming sessions too! It also has multiple connectivity options, including 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, and wired, and is compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux. A superb keyboard for office and gaming use. Keychron K2 HE Wireless Magnetic Switch Custom Keyboard - £153.99 Razer USB 4 Dock Okay, I know what you're thinking, a USB dock? But trust me, and I speak from experience here, dads can't have enough ports on their PCs. And this isn't just any USB dock, this is the daddy of all USB docks. It features 14 ports, including a MicroSD and SD Card slot, Microphone Headphone Combo Port (supports 7.1 surround), USB Type C 3.2 Gen 2 (with battery charging 20W), USB A 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s), upstream USB 4 Type C to host device, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, 1Gb ethernet port, two USB A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gb/s), one USB A 2.0 (480 Mb/s) and finally a dedicated USB port for 2.4 GHz Dongles (480 Mb/s). And there's more: It supports a 4K 120Hz output and includes a 180W power adapter that can provide 100W of laptop charging while powering the other connected devices! It's also compatible with PCS, Macs, iPads, and Chromebooks, making it incredibly versatile. Razer USB 4 Dock - £229.99 Moza Racing R3 Racin If your dad is the type who watches F1 and thinks he could match Max Verstappen, but hasn't tried sim racing yet, Moza's R3 bundle is the perfect gift to get him started on his sim racing journey. It's 3.9Nm direct drive servo motor gives enough feedback to provide an immersive driving experience, but not too much that it might be overwhelming for beginners, while the aviation-grade aluminium construction and durable ISF PU grips mean it'll last, at least until he wants to upgrade! You get a wheelbase, wheel and pedals in this bundle, which is compatible with PC and Xbox, which is a great starting point, and the price is very competitive too. Moza Racing R3 Racing Wheel and Pedals for Xbox and PC - £359.00 SanDisk microSD Express Memory Card (256 GB) With the Nintendo Switch 2 now out in the wild and in the hands of gamers, my first impressions of the console are very positive, and it seems to be better than the original in pretty much every conceivable way. But, with the games looking better than ever, and in a higher resolution than ever, that comes at the cost of bigger game sizes, so this 256 microSD Express Memory Card is looking pretty essential for those with a big game library! The Switch 2 only supports games launching from a microSD Express card, not a standard microSD, so this is a great option! SanDisk microSD Express Memory Card - £49.00 (Currys) Steam Deck And last but not least, for those gamer dads out there who haven't experienced the joy of handheld gaming yet, the Steam Deck is a superb device that allows you to play your beloved Steam games on the go. Whether he plays Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, Balatro, Red Dead Redemption 2 or Cyberpunk 2077, Valve's handheld can handle them all in 1280 x 800 resolution on its 7-inch display, which is surprisingly sharp given the lower than 1080p resolution. And, best of all, with the Steam Deck OLED also out now, the original Steam Deck is only £359 right now, making it cheaper than a Nintendo Switch 2! Steam Deck (256GB) - £359.00 And that's it. Hopefully, some of these ideas work out great, but if not, at least they might spark a present idea ahead of the big day.
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Naked cruise setting sail from seaside beauty spot and bookings are open now
The three-hour-long nude cruise will set sail on Friday, June 13 A three-hour nudist cruise is set to embark from Plymouth next week. The unique voyage is scheduled to depart on Friday, June 13 for a tour around Plymouth Sound and up the River Lynher towards St Germans. The bare-skinned adventure will commence at The Barbican Landing Stage, where guests will embark upon the grand vessel. With the stunning views of Plymouth Sound as an initial vista, followed by the quintessentially English countryside along the River Lynher, the cruise promises an unforgettable experience. Participants will have the bonus of viewing the moored Royal Navy ships along the River Tamar during their journey. Adding to the enjoyment will be live electronic music and a fully licensed bar on the ship, where cruisers can buy drinks with cash or card. Keith Bowman, British Naturism's South West region events coordinator and the planner behind the Naked Cruise, spoke to Plymouth Live regarding the inception of the event: "The idea for a boat trip came from the successful 'Naked Cruises' held in the USA so I thought to myself, if they can do it then so can we.", reports Plymouth Live. When asked about the ease of organising such an unusual outing, Keith revealed: "I contacted the first boat hire business I could find in Plymouth and explained my idea. To my surprise, they jumped at the chance to provide a cruise around Plymouth Sound and along the local rivers. It's surprising how people become more interested when I mention the word 'Naked'." As of now, approximate times to board and depart have been shared, with exact times expected to be advised at a date closer to the nude voyage. Boarding for Plymouth's unique Naked Cruise is set to commence around 4:30pm, with the vessel slated to cast off at about 4:45 pm. Following a tranquil three-hour journey along the river, the boat is scheduled to return at 7:45pm. Keith, who has been at the helm of organising the event, remarked: "Organising the event has been a dream and the boat company couldn't have been more helpful. Tickets are selling steadily and as normal with Naturist events, we expect there to be a last minute rush for tickets. Why not come and join us." Tickets for this extraordinary Naked Cruise experience in Plymouth are available to British Naturism members for £25 each, while non-members can secure their spot for £30. To entice those contemplating the experience, Keith offers an enticing scenario: "Can you imagine it? It's a bright, sunny, warm evening. You have a glass of wine or cuppa in your hand. Snacks are available if you feel peckish. You're sitting back just watching the world go by as you cruise the waters NAKED! Does that sound good, or what?".
