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Article

6 Aug 2019

Author:
Matthew Prince, Cloudflare

USA: Cloudflare terminates service for 8chan after mass shooting, calling it 'cesspool of hate'

"Terminating Service for 8Chan", 05 Aug 2019

...In the case of the El Paso shooting, the suspected terrorist gunman appears to have been inspired by the forum website known as 8chan. Based on evidence we've seen, it appears that he posted a screed to the site immediately before beginning his terrifying attack... [T]his is not an isolated incident. Nearly the same thing happened on 8chan before the terror attack in Christchurch, New Zealand. The El Paso shooter...referenced the Christchurch incident and appears to have been inspired by the largely unmoderated discussions on 8chan... [Also], the suspected killer in the Poway, California synagogue shooting also posted a hate-filled “open letter” on 8chan. 8chan has repeatedly proven itself to be a cesspool of hate... We...are terminating 8chan as a customer effective at midnight tonight... [They] have proven themselves to be lawless and that lawlessness has caused multiple tragic deaths. Even if 8chan may not have violated the letter of the law in refusing to moderate their hate-filled community, they have created an environment that revels in violating its spirit... Almost exactly two years ago we made the determination to kick another disgusting site off Cloudflare's network: the Daily Stormer... We continue to feel incredibly uncomfortable about playing the role of content arbiter... Instead our concern has centered around...the Rule of Law... 

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