The controversial imageboard site 8chan is back with a new name. That name is “8kun.” The first thing you see when you enter the site’s homepage is a warning that reads: “Any content that violates the laws of the United States of America will be deleted and the poster will be banned.
But why has it been labeled as controversial?
In 2013, Fredrick Brennan created 8chan as an alternative to 4chan. However, the site was associated with campaigns promoting racism, misogyny, neo-Nazism, pedophilia, and various illegal and criminal activities. It was also used by followers of the QAnon, which claims that a secret organization (“Satan-worshipping pedophiles”) rules the world and only Donald Trump can stop it.
Brennan retired from the site in 2008. 8chan is now run by Jim Watkins and his son Ron. Brennan had since left, expressing a desire to shut down the site entirely.
Indeed, 8chan was taken down in August after the perpetrators of the Christchurch, Poway, and El Paso attacks used the site to spread their manifesto. Soon after, several companies announced they would no longer support 8chan. Among those companies were security company Cloudflare and Tucows.
However, Watkins brought 8chan back, under a new name.
The first news of its return was released on October 7th by the site's official Twitter. 8kun finally went live on Saturday.
8kun said on Twitter that there are over 200 boards that need to be moved from 8chan. However, this time it will not include the boards that the criminals to post their manifesto.
Watkins was under investigation by the US Homeland Security Committee when the attacks took place . His lawyer said at the time that Watkins stressed that: “ 8chan will return to the internetwhen it develops additional tools to address illegal content in accordance with the laws of the United States .”
