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| ==Controversy== | ==Controversy== | ||
| ===Blocks in the UK=== | |||
| Access to /b/ was blocked to customers of ], ] and ] in early June of 2006.<ref name="UKISPthread">{{cite web| url=http://dis.4chan.org/read.php/img/1150410623/|title=BT / NTL /b/ Block - Stuff we know.|publisher=4chan|accessdate=2006-08-18}}</ref> For some users, access to /r/, /s/, and /t/ was also affected. While moderators attempt to remove instances of illegal content as soon as possible, as well as ban the individuals responsible for them, the prevalence of such content has led systems like ] to blacklist the site. The 4chan ] and ] also state that illegal material (e.g. child pornography, posting of personal information, invasions of other internet communities, etc.) will not be tolerated, and will be punished appropriately.<ref name="4chanTOS"/><ref name="4chanFAQ">{{cite web| url=http://www.4chan.org/faq.php|title=4chan FAQ|publisher=4chan|accessdate=2006-08-18}}</ref> Moderators have also recently taken stronger measures against illicit content. For example, on ], a reporting system was implemented on all of 4chan's image, upload, and oekaki boards, allowing any user to 'report' a post that contains illegal material, or material that violates 4chan's terms of use. On ], ], the moderators of /b/ began enforcing previously neglected rules regarding sexually suggestive pictures of under-age teenagers, invasions of other websites, and posting of personal information. Infractions would now result in bans applied to the original poster and anyone posting in the thread, whether he or she supported the content or not. Many users of /b/ responded by attacking /b/ with automatic floods and spam. Shortly afterwards there was a hard disk failure on one of 4chan's servers, causing most of the boards to go down{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. | |||
| Some suspect that the blocks are related to the efforts of the Internet Watch Foundation; however, the "IWF-led block" theory has several discrepancies. Firstly, the ISPs that continue to block /b/ are BT Internet and NTL, with UKOnline appearing to have removed its restriction after a few weeks. Secondly, the IWF themselves confirmed that "no part of the URL for the site 4chan.org is included in our live database."<ref name="UKISPreplyIWF">{{cite web| url=http://dis.4chan.org/read/img/1150410623/86|title=BT / NTL /b/ Block - Stuff we know.-''Reply #86''|publisher=4chan|accessdate=2006-08-18}}</ref> Investigations by 4chan users have revealed that BT's support teams claim to have no knowledge of a block on any part of the URL 4chan.org.<ref name="UKISPreplyBT">{{cite web| url=http://dis.4chan.org/read/img/1150410623/127|title=BT / NTL /b/ Block - Stuff we know.-''Reply #127''|publisher=4chan|accessdate=2006-08-18}}</ref> Finally, the BT block on /b/ has evolved, with new workarounds redirected to the ban page or a nondescript 404 within mere hours of being discovered.<ref name="UKISPreply404">{{cite web| url=http://dis.4chan.org/read/img/1150410623/126|title=BT / NTL /b/ Block - Stuff we know.-''Reply #126''|publisher=4chan||accessdate=2006-08-18}}</ref> These blocks also have an erratic nature, apparently having been suddenly lifted, but reinstated days later, only to be lifted again within an equally short time period.<ref name="UKISPthread"/> However, some of the perceived inconsistencies in this theory are directly contradicted by claims made by 4chan's staff and other sources. For example, on ], ], while being filmed during a 4chan panel at ] in which he was fielding questions from the audience, moot, the owner of 4chan, stated that the blockings of /b/ and some of the other boards have indeed been a result of the ] system. /b/'s front page has also been removed from Google search results due to a notice sent by the IWF to Google.<ref name="Google Results">{{cite web| url=http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.4chan.org%2Fb&btnG=Search|title=http://img.4chan.org/b/imgboard.htm - Google Search|publisher=Google Search|accessdate=2006-10-14}}</ref><ref name="ChillingEffectsNotice">{{cite web| url=http://www.chillingeffects.org/notice.cgi?sID=1161|title=Child pornography complaint concerning Google search|publisher=Chilling Effects Clearinghouse|accessdate=2006-10-13}}</ref> | |||
Revision as of 06:14, 20 July 2007
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| File:4chan-frontpageapril.jpg4chan's main page as of April 1st, 2007 | |
| Type of site | Imageboard/TextBBS |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | "moot" |
| Created by | "moot" |
| URL | 4chan.org |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | No |
4chan (四葉, Yotsuba, four leaves) is an English language imageboard based on the Japanese imageboard Futaba Channel. This imageboard is based primarily around the posting of pictures (generally related to anime, manga, and popular culture) and their discussion.
Layout
The activity of 4chan takes place on discussion boards, image and upload boards, and drawing boards. Currently, there are thirty-five different image boards, covering topics ranging from anime, weapons, and photography to real and animated pornography. Eight of these were "trial boards" until January 9, 2007, when all of them except the sports board were upgraded to permanent boards; the sports board was discarded. On February 15, 2007 the site added two new trial boards called Paranormal and Traditional Games.
Other boards include an oekaki board, an Artwork/Critique board, an upload board that is used for the uploading and discussion of Flash movies, and nineteen text-based discussion boards. The discussion boards were once hosted on a separate site called "world4ch" (pronounced world four channel) until they moved to the subdomain dis.4chan.org. The discussion boards were initially created and hosted on world4ch as an homage to the defunct world2ch, which itself was a website intending to be an earlier attempt to create an English version of 2channel.
Because 4chan is provided to its users free of charge and consumes a large amount of bandwidth, its financing often becomes problematic. To avoid long periods of downtime caused by a severe lack of funds, such as the four "deaths" that plagued the site during its first year of existence, the 4chan staff regularly requests donations. However, there have been numerous problems relating to the use of several different online payment services, including PayPal, YowCow, and the Authorize.net payment gateway. The pornographic content hosted on 4chan violated the terms of services of various payment receiving services and so they refused to allow 4chan to use their services.
Anonymity
4chan is an anonymous BBS that does not require the user to supply any personal information, such as a name or email address, before being able to post messages. Unlike most web forums, 4chan does not have any kind of registration system. Any person can use any nickname to his or her liking, making it possible to post under the name of someone else by simply entering his or her name into the posting form. Nonetheless, most users post anonymously. In place of registration, 4chan has provided tripcodes as an optional form of authenticating a poster's identity. As the concept of anonymous posting is a defining feature of Futaba-like imageboards, the use of tripcodes generates controversy among 4chan users. Many posters who use them risk being singled out and ridiculed, often with the use of derogatory terms such as "tripfag." As anonymous posting causes posts to be attributed to "Anonymous" a running gag on 4chan is the idea that Anonymous is in fact a single person or the true name of the posters.
Moderators will generally post without a name even when banning users or posting information. In this case, the post is attributed to "Anonymous ## Mod" (though even mods are sometimes known to simply post as "Anonymous"). The primary exception is when 4chan's founder "moot" posts information relating to changes in the site.
Controversy
Hal Turner
In December of 2006 and January of 2007, individuals who identified themselves as /b/tards "raided" white nationalist Hal Turner, taking his site offline and costing thousands of dollars of bandwidth bills according to Turner.
See also
- Imageboard
- Futaba Channel
- 2channel
- Image macro
- List of Internet phenomena
- Internet meme
- Yotsuba, 4chan's unofficial mascot.
References
- ^ "4chan News Archive". 4chan. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
- "4chan Blotter". 4chan. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
- Cite error: The named reference
4chanFAQwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - Cite error: The named reference
jerseyjournalwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - "Cyber foes find ways to silence hate-talk radio host". freep.com. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
External links
- 4chan
- A LURK MORE wiki page on 4chan and its memes
- Wikichan - A wiki covering 4chan and similar "*chan" boards with information about famous posters, memes and drama.