web Should 4chan and KiwiFarms be banned?

[OG CHUCK 64]

i dont now why the internet has not ban places like 4 chan and kiwi farm? 

those places bring plobems and illigal stuff.

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

if there was a way to ban a website from existing, it would be done. That control would also be abused.

Of course the right thing to do would be to simply {not exist} all the bad websites where child porn and KKK webrings are, and all the host facilities for scammers and so on.

But then about 0.2 seconds later, large companies would use the same tool to destroy websites that host content in a way that denies them money, and foreign governments would do the same to obfuscate information that's politically inconvenient.

[SharpWit 2,682]

Simply put, there isn't a central authority of the Internet and it'd be bad if there was. Not like it matters because the truly competent could remain anonymous despite.

While the story of sonichu is both fascinating and entertaining, it is one of harassment. Given the purpose of Kiwi Farm, it probably should be taken down given the illegal activities that the start of its Wikipedia article would leave me to believe it's encouraging.

4 Chan while not always having the best users, is a bit of a sacred place on the Internet for freedom of speech and has served useful to helping the general public.

[The Kaeya Simp 13,989]

I believe the internet should never be censored, nor should anything need to censor in order to not have legal issues

I am even going to say that KiwiFarms can exist, but people should call out the full out doxxing (me and a friend were both doxxed by kiwifarms)

[Misty Shadow 7,915]

Glad all the comments replying have been anti-censorship so far, keep this train rolling. I have never been a fan of either despite visiting them both on odd occasions, but those sites are not the problem, the people using them are the ones who cause the problems. Let the bad man have his opinion, let the bad man be punished for his actions, better to live and let be than give bad men power to intrude on everyone's lives. 

[EpicEnergy 23,220]

I hardly know anything about Kiwifarms and 4chan, but I've heard nothing but bad things about 4chan. I'm going to assume those places are really bad. So, with that said, outright banning those places has several issues that need addressing.

Firstly, why should those two websites be banned? They surely are bad places, but to what standard are they being held to that would cause them to be deserving of nonexistence? Even if nothing but hate and illegal activities come from those websites, wouldn't it be better to just ignore them instead of banning them? Leave the illegal activities to the police who can deal with each individual involved accordingly.

Secondly, who would do the banning? Perhaps the USA government could ban 4chan and Kiwifarms by making it illegal for US citizens to go on those websites. That would be a violation of freedom though, so it's not a good idea. That leads me to say that it would not be a good idea for anyone to be put in the position of banning websites, no matter how bad those websites are, for it would be a violation of freedom to do so. Furthermore, such a position would be abused, and many innocent websites or websites that hold views opposing those of the person in the position to ban websites would unjustly be banned.

Thirdly, how will the ban be executed? Would the ban just be a prohibition for anyone to go on the website, but letting it exist? Such an idea would cause nothing but an uproar, for it would serve as nothing but a temptation for those wanting to view its contents. Perhaps the ban could instead be a deletion of the website, that would be far more effective.

Fourthly, who is to say that the banning would only be for Kiwifarms and 4chan? This goes hand in hand with what I previously stated, that banning would be abused by whoever does the banning. The main problem with banning those two websites it that it opens the door to ban more websites. At first, it may start off with banning small, minor websites dedicated to illegal activities. However, the bans would become more strict and turn to other websites that are innocent until eventually certain opinions and views would become censored, leading to freedom of speech being nonexistent on the internet.

Ultimately, I think it would not be a good idea to ban Kiwifarms and 4chan.

[King of Canterlot 9,603]

I actually use 4Chan occasionally to post in /mlp/ so I would be against any ban on that site. I don't know enough about Kiwi Farms, but for the sake of freedom of speech and internet freedom I would be against shuttering that site too, as toxic as a community it is. 

[TBD 17,255]

Um.. can someone explain to me what’s 4Chan and Kiwi Farms? I look them up but they look like another reddit to me.. I keep seeing members mentioning them and saying how bad it is. 

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

No! No, no, no! Where else would I do my creepy stuff? I love my darkness, I embrace my shadow. Well, there is actually no creepy stuff, light or dark, legal, illegal to begin with. That's the illusion some ignorant fool would rather believe to ignore a part of himself. It's all him, or me, or you? Why do you fight with yourself? Well, after all, everything is a reflection of the old man. And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Sigh, always one too short.

[OG CHUCK 64]

11 minutes ago, TBD 🚬 said:

Um.. can someone explain to me what’s 4Chan and Kiwi Farms? I look them up but they look like another reddit to me.. I keep seeing members mentioning them and saying how bad it is. 

is places you dont want to hangout just a bunch of anonymus people talking shit  wiki farm stay away from that place far away there idea of fun is causing misery to other for the fun of it. 

Edited July 3, 2020 by OG CHUCK

[Yoshi89 5,293]

I don't believe in censorship, so there is no good reason to ban an entire website based on the actions of unruly users. That falls on the administration when it fails to act on enforcing the rules. Closing down websites sets quite possibly the worst precedent because it opens the door to erasing others from existence without stopping.

[Pentium100 2,136]

I do not believe in censorship. Some things may be illegal and only those things should be banned. Everyone else, who would get extremely upset by the content on that site can just not go there.

[Jedishy 3,548]

Neither site does anything inherently illegal just by existing. So if individuals do something illegal yes punish that. But censoring a site for ideas you don't like? Who are you to demand that? Worse and more importantly who do you trust with the power to ban nasty things you dislike that do not inherently harm people? Do you even grasp the legal precedent it sets? Or how dangerous greasing that slope is?

This is why most people have no business discussing legal matters. They fail to do the most basic research needed to understand what they are asking or its long term consequences. 

[Stardust 641]

I mean 4chan has better moderation then other sites like 8chan which got shut down I guess. I still find it horrible as a site and do not want to visit it but there we go. I doubt it would get shut down maybe someone would put pressure on it to moderate it better. It is still meant for freedom of speech though and as I know they do still try to avoid illegality on it. But maybe they need to tighten up on that but Ya know it is probably meant for a certain um audience.

[Odyssey 5,716]

If you believe that 4chan is a hub for hackers and criminals, you've never actually visited the website.

[TotallyNotNyx 15,566]

6 hours ago, TBD 🚬 said:

Um.. can someone explain to me what’s 4Chan and Kiwi Farms? I look them up but they look like another reddit to me.. I keep seeing members mentioning them and saying how bad it is. 

yeee I'm confused too. I've heard people mention their names, but never found out what they were and what the problems with them are

[Rebel the Wolfgirl 5,605]

Much as I would WANT to, banning those two sites would not only be a gross violation of the First Amendment, but also set off a disastrous domino effect; if two websites could be struck from the web for abusive and hateful content, then corporations, governments, and ESPECIALLY the "cancel culture" could ban websites for content they don't like.

The funny thing about freedom of speech is that even if you disagree with something, people still have a right to say what they want without fear of being shot by the government for it. I wish people on both sides of the spectrum, whether they be "woke" neoliberals or alt-righters, would understand this.

Edited July 3, 2020 by Renegade the Unicorn

[Pentium100 2,136]

2 minutes ago, Renegade the Unicorn said:

The funny thing about freedom of speech is that even if you disagree with something, people still have a right to say what they want without fear of being shot by the government for it.

That's the entire point of freedom of speech - to be able to say something that some people (maybe even the majority or the government) does not like.

Being allowed to only say things that are pre-approved by the government is no freedom at all.

[Prometheus 3,038]

I am all for the existence of Kiwi Farms & 4chan. I don't think either of them should be shut down. 

I mean sure, a small few of the users of these websites have done questionable things, but I see no reason why the websites themselves should be taken down or blacklisted. Every forum has users that do shitty things, it's not exclusive to these two. While Kiwi Farms is mainly focused around the discussion of eccentric and bizarre individuals online (e.g. Chris Chan etc.), 4chan has a huge variety of boards revolving around specific topics, most people seem to think it's just /b/ & /pol/ across the whole website, which really isn't the case. 

But yeah, censorship solves nothing, and restricting internet freedom does set a dangerous precedent for the future.

Spoiler

Besides, some of 4chan's antics are really funny, not gonna lie. Shitposting is an underappreciated art.

 

 

Edited July 3, 2020 by Prometheus

[Splashee 28,565]

19 hours ago, Sherbie-kun ⚡⚡ said:

I believe the internet should never be censored, nor should anything need to censor in order to not have legal issues

I believe this also.

 

When it comes to any place, like the Internet, there must exist a dumpster, a trashbin... Well, 4chan is that place.

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

This post has been redacted by the author.

 

Edited May 10, 2021 by Blue

[Sunny Fox 5,952]

Oh, heck no.

If you don't like what they do, then don't visit those sites. They're not going to go chasing you down, are they?

 

[Megas 27,701]

I mean, unless they do something blatantly illegal(and believe me, they're always pushing that boundry, and probably passed it on a few occasions), but even then there are some lines even 4chan wouldn't cross. Remember, 8chan existed for users that were too much for even 4chan themselves

[PinkieSpy 67]

Sure those sites could be closed down and more just like them. But the members would flood to other places and infect them and either restrict access to those places or get them shut down too, then they go to another and another like a biblical plague. Right now all the toxic troublemakers are packed into a few sites where they can be horrible to each other. Better the devil you know than the one that crawls into a secret dark hole and you never see them until something very bad happens.

[Dark Bun 681]

I don't think they should be shut down, however there needs to be more open discussion about Kiwifarms in particular.

Most people know how terrible the chan websites are. Very little moderation which allows some pretty heinous stuff get through, which inevitably allows the dregs of society to take over through sheer harassment, and the fact that normal people don't like being surrounded by cynical negativity all the time. Kiwifarms is a little different, but possibly even worse. This website is infested with people who are just completely obsessed with online personalities that they don't like. These personalities are dubbed "lolcows" and have threads made about them documenting their behavior and past. Kiwifarms, like the chan sites, also has very lax moderation, so you can imagine the types of people this brings in. Due to the right-leaning skew of people, the personalities that are targeted and talked about at length are left-leaning ones. Granted for good reason, because calling out bad actors is important, but that's not the point of the website. What every single lolcow thread devolves into is just mindless hatred for the person in question.

In conclusion, fuck channers and kiwifarmers; both these groups need to seek a mental health facility.