AT&T blocks viral birthground 4chan
By John Lister
AT&T has temporarily blocked its DSL subscribers from accessing the controversial image and message board site 4chan. The fallout could tell us something of the relative powers of corporations and individual users in the online age.
In theory 4chan is an image board for viewing and discussing manga and anime images. In practice it’s best known for a forum titled /b/ on which anything goes. As well as apparently being the source of such crazes as Rickrolling and LOLcats, the site has created something of a community of people with both the will and the technical knowledge to create some serious online havoc.
Some recent antics by the site’s user base include rigging a TIME “most influential” poll to put 4chan’s founder at number one while arranging the full rankings so the first names spelled out a messages, and bombarding YouTube with pornography. It’s also the place where a man claiming to have hacked Sarah Palin’s e-mail account detailed his exploits, as well as a home for several anti-Scientology protests.
The site’s status blog reports that AT&T began blocking the site for “many users” yesterday. The firm later said it was blocking parts of the site in line with the practices of its policy department. Access was restored late last night, though 4chan has had some apparently unconnected technical problems today.
It’s hard to assess the case without knowing why exactly AT&T blocked the site. It’s possible there was a valid technical reason for doing so.
However, if it was a content-related decision, the consequences may be serious. The block may have been down to a particular image triggering off an automatic filter. But if AT&T blocked the site simply on the grounds of not approving of the general content, there are serious questions about whether doing so violates government-stated net neutrality principles.
The move also prompted a quick and hostile response from 4chan’s members. Using a wiki (a page editable by users), they quickly established a plan of attack for protesting the move, including publishing what was claimed to be the personal e-mail address of AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson.
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Stumble It!
July 28th, 2009
And once again, it NEVER fails with the incessant lying, as lying is a way of life for these hacker creeps. I salute AT&T for blocking viruses, trojans and nasty spider scripts, as that is what the REAL truth is as to WHY AT&T has flashed the middle finger [blocked] to 4 Chan. Why should AT&T waste time and energy in dealing with viruses, trojans and uncontrollable script programs emanating from the 4 Chan site?
I don’t condone censorship and I certainly don’t condone lies “in the name of lulz”. The only thing 4 Chan has proven again and again, is that they are infantile and violent. A bunch of two year olds who go on tirades. And just like an out of control two year old, they need some REAL hard slaps from the school of hard knocks.
Any consequences or denial of internet access to AT&T customers due to NAZI actions emanating from 4 Chan [or any other hacker creeps for that matter], I pray that they are caught, rounded up, prosecuted beyond the extent of the law, thrown in a windowless cell and locked up forever until the day they die.
I commend AT&T for taking the step forward and I sincerely hope that other ISP’S follow suit ASAP. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Hackers cause destruction, chaos, waste everyones time and energy. Normal people on the net are SICK AND TIRED of these two year old tantrum antics that 4 Chan displays on a daily basis. These hacker creeps really and truly need to GROW THE F*** UP.