After the New Zealand shooting, ISPs were wrong to block 8chan. Here’s why.
SlateAfter a shooter livestreamed himself killing 50 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand earlier this month, one of the places where footage of his broadcast lived on was 8chan—the same shadowy message board where he posted a manifesto and chillingly called his actions “a real life effort post.” While mainstream platforms like Facebook and YouTube mobilized to take down uploads of the video as they proliferated thousands, even millions, of times, 8chan left it up. Because these places were not willing to remove the videos, New Zealand and Australia’s major internet service providers decided to take action: They blocked access to any website continuing to host the video. They tend to observe this rule even in places like Australia and New Zealand that don’t have net neutrality policies that prevent ISPs from blocking access to websites. This may happen because one firm’s terms of service were violated, like when a hosting company prohibits hate speech or when Facebook and YouTube removed Alex Jones’ channels last year.
History of this topic
AP Explains: What is the online forum 8chan?
Associated PressDiscover Related
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