Ofcom investigates notorious 4chan forum linked to mass shootings
A notorious online message board linked to mass shootings in the United States is facing an investigation by British officials.
4chan is to be investigated by Ofcom, Britain's tech regulator, under the Online Safety Act over the suspected spread of illegal online posts.
The forum, which became known for its users' vociferous support for Donald Trump and has been blamed for radicalising mass shooters in the US, is one of nine websites that are the subject of new investigations by Ofcom.
The regulator said it had received reports of 'illegal content and activity' being shared on 4chan, which had not responded to its requests for information.
The Online Safety Act requires websites to take action against illegal online posts, such as terror content, inciting violence, racial hatred and extreme pornography.
Originally launched in 2003 by American developer Christopher Poole, who is referred to by the online moniker 'moot', 4chan is known for its lack of moderation and has long been a byword for the extreme fringes of the internet. It is associated with hacker groups and the far Right.
Anonymous members of 4chan's 'Politically Incorrect' forum were enthusiastic supporters of Mr Trump during his 2016 election campaign. 4chan users were also involved in spreading conspiracy theories such as QAnon and 'Pizzagate', which promoted unsubstantiated claims of a Democratic paedophile ring.
The site was also the source of claims that Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and sex trafficker, had died, 40 minutes before the news broke in the US media.
4chan was blamed by New York's attorney general for 'radicalising' 18-year-old Payton Gendron, a mass shooter who killed 10 people in Buffalo in May 2022. A report alleged 4chan had been 'formative' in 'indoctrinating him into hateful, white supremacist internet subcultures'.
The investigation into 4chan comes as Ofcom ramps up its enforcement of the Online Safety Act, which came into full effect in April this year.
The law gives Ofcom the power to investigate websites for failing to do enough to block and remove illegal content. Offending websites can be fined up to 10pc of their turnover, or £18m. They can also be blocked from the UK, while senior managers can receive jail terms for repeated failings.
Already, several fringe websites have pulled their services from the UK after facing regulatory scrutiny from Ofcom. Gab, a social network that had courted Right-wing commentators, message board site Kiwi Farms and YouTube rival Bitchute have all blocked UK visitors, accusing the Online Safety Act of interfering with free expression.
Ofcom also opened investigations into eight other sites, including a pornography provider accused of failing to stop children accessing its websites and seven file-sharing websites that have allegedly failed to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material.
Since 2015, 4chan has been owned by Japanese internet entrepreneur Hiroyuki Nishimura.
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