4chan, the controversial image board long popular among internet trolls and the far-right internet, experienced a massive security breach on Tuesday. The hack then revealed sensitive information such as the website’s backend, source code, and the templates that were used for banning users. Though this acquittal is tragic, it has raised alarming concerns. Concern remains that all the personal data of moderators and 4chan Pass subscribers may become exposed.
The leaked data also featured a spreadsheet of everyone allegedly involved in moderating 4chan, down to the site’s so-called “janitors.” Janitors may delete posts and threads, but their power is restricted. Moderators have additional privileges, such as access to the user IP addresses. No surprise—this hack had the potential to expose the identity of the site’s administrators. Yet besides impacting daily operations, it may endanger the whole community by jeopardizing emergency response.
4chan is notorious, most recently for its political boards. These boards are indeed platforms of choice for the spread of alt-right rhetoric. Unaddressed, this dangerous environment can radicalize young users, pushing some of them to embrace violent white supremacist ideologies. The site’s most disturbing association is to the four most common causes of right-wing terrorism. Perhaps not, considering that the Christchurch shooter wrote a 70-page manifesto that largely plagiarized language and themes prevalent on 4chan.
The cultural impact of 4chan has been just as deep, with a vast number of memes spawning from the slidebased site. Iconic memes such as Pepe the Frog, rage comics and wojaks suddenly became popular on its boards. From there they almost overnight popped into popular culture. Even there, the legacy is deeply marred by the negative side of that site’s community.
The recent big hack of Twitter has raised alarms over the safety — and future — of the platform. Those who help build it, or those who govern over it, are most fearful. An admin from 4chan shared spill presser, telling Inverse that he was worried about what the leak foretold.
“I’ve been most concerned with the leaked information, for obvious reasons,” said the janitor.
Another factory janitor described their connection to the experience. They acknowledged that leaks have occurred in the past, but this leak represents a significantly larger danger.
“I’m somewhat taken back. 4chan’s moderation team has had leaks in the past, but this is obviously an issue of greater magnitude,” said the janitor.
The risk of exposure of private data goes much lower than someone that works as a personal janitor or content moderator. Members of 4chan Pass pay annual fees to remove post limits and view special boards. These same users often see their information put at risk by these very technologies. This reality should be concerning not just for the parties directly engaged on it, but to the millions of users who use the platform without identification.
Moderators like Kelly are giving up on controlling anonymous speech on sites like 4chan. These changes and developments have further increased their worries.
“I’m not happy about the situation. I’m sure most others aren’t, either. But many of us have been doing this for a long time. Doxxing is a longstanding pastime on 4chan, and the possibility that we could be exposed has always been there,” said the janitor.
The impact of this violation continues to play out. Second, it underscores the vulnerabilities that exist in online communities built on anonymity and user-generated content. Investigations both by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and by the company themselves are still ongoing. Some are already wondering how this will affect 4chan’s operational security and their users’ anonymity.
Leave a Reply