At least three mass shootings this year — including one in El Paso — have been announced in advance on the online message board 8chan, often accompanied by racist writings. We look at the battle over shutting down the site. Guests: Kevin Roose, who writes about technology for The New York Times, spoke with Fredrick Brennan, the founder of 8chan. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.
Background reading:
- Fredrick Brennan started 8chan as a free speech utopia. But the site became known as something else: a megaphone for mass shooters, and a recruiting platform for violent white nationalists.
- Several tech providers pulled support for 8chan, temporarily taking the site offline. The decision to do so was not a straightforward one for the security company Cloudflare.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
From a New York Times, unlike above all, this is a daily today for the third time this year, a measure
posted his manifesto on each of the battle
whether to shut the site. It's Tuesday August, the Christchurch, shooters, specific part of the internet and he came from was a message board called a chance and specifically a trunk debate. Chance called slash, pulled the suspected gunman, empower posted praise for each year, just before the shooting saying I've only been lurking for a year and a half. Yet what I've learned here is priceless. It's been an honour for back with the breaking news or mass shooting and open
Texas that the sale of us them all minutes before the shooting in our path, Texas, the theft backed posted his racist anti immigrant manifesto to the online message. Boards ain't hosted a manifesto on the website. Eight Chan moments before the shooting posted that hate was his motive on H, H and claims they deleted. The post nine minutes after it was published, but other calls to violence remain Kevin risk. It
noteworthy that we now routinely turn to our technology. Columnist you after every man shooting but tell me where your headwind after the news broke this weekend of the shooting in Texas.
I immediately thought about Frederick Brennan he's the founder of eight Chan and he was sort of a vocal defender of this kind,
ready for a long time and then recently has been expressing some real misgivings about it and he was explicitly calling for the site to be shut down. So I wanted to talk to you about that. So I looked him up. I got in touch, he agreed to talk. He would skype with me from his home in the
opinions. So after a getting up on Sunday morning, I went to my computer and I call them on Skype. Five at the delay on that there are no problems heard you I'm gonna make, and I talk for twenty minutes. So you get all your important questions by saying that the cabin he seemed very happy to hear from you. This was
Probably not the best part, is day. You know it's just really annoying to keep and love. It's like people's lives are affected in ways that are much more,
serious, then how my life is affected by when this happens again and again and again, but at the same time it's like every single time wanted any shootings happens, and there is an agent connection, I'm always just dragged into
and I know you got the sense- that one of the reasons that he is calling for a chance to be taken down is that it would make his life a lot easier. He wouldn't have to be involved in explore.
Being a chan. Every time there is a mass shooting that involves the sight he wouldn't have to field calls.
The media he could kind of move
and with his life and not have this part of his past come up every time, it's implicated in one of these mass shootings. You know as soon as this happened- and I saw the original articles. That said, maybe the shooter posted on four generate. Jan, you know it wasn't clear in the beginning. Well, I just very quickly you know just opened up a few sites- and I was
very easily able to determine that it was legitimate. He said that he always has come to the same routine. Whenever there is a mass shooting, he still has to go. Research
whether there is any chance connection and I probably would have done much faster, but just due to time zones it was Sunday, so I was at church instead of doing that. Research and I decided that was more important than staying here in dealing with it right away. You told me that he got up
this news and serve instead of going through his normal routine. Of doing all of his research to Fit
you're out whether there was a chance connection. He went to church. He sounded like like a lot of us. He understands that. There's a pattern now read me at the same time. Do you feel a sense of frustration with Jim that you ought to be answer? Yes, I really do Kevin, whose Jim
Jim is Jim Watkins who's. The current owner of a chance and he's the guy who, if he wanted to, could take the site down, could do what Frederick what exactly, but he doesn't want to, and I just don't. I've tried to understand so many times why he keeps it going, and I just don't get it. You know two days ago and what's the story of these two guys, so the story of a Chan goes back to twenty thirteen and explaining it wells for requires explaining this whole kind of internet underbelly. So just
with me there's gonna be some weird stuff here, so fronted Brennan was sort of unknown figure in this kind of internet underworld. He was along
fine user of fortune, the sort of bigger older, more established sight. He
was briefly the administrator of a message board for adult male virgins
which he then had to resign. He said because he was no longer a virgin. He was
solved in a lot of other assertive internet communities and then in twenty thirteen he said that
he was high on psychedelic mushrooms and he got an idea for a website called Infinite Chan, an infinite chan. He thought would be sort of like the ultimate
free speech. Anything goes version of fortune. It would be for chat with even fewer guard rails and
It would be a site that would allow for any one to have not only go to this free speech utopia, but to create their own versions
They would kind of be any number of anonymous free for all message boards and he called it infinite Chan. He
is the infinity symbol which is answered. The sideways aid. Does the h m hard to type that's what people just start, calling it a chance?
so this site is not all that popular first, it's pretty small
Nobody really knows about it and then in twenty fourteen a chance and gets a lucky break, because
bunch of guys affiliated with movement called Gamer Gait, which was a kind of reactionary,
movement of Game
who were upset about serve social justice warriors like destroy
Video games who had gotten kicked off of fortune. They needed a new place to go where there were fewer rules where they can post whatever
wanted, where they wouldn't be censored or moderated anyway, and so they found a channel. A chant became cried the unofficial home of Gamer Gate.
It sounds like from the very beginning: a Chan is a home to curve
Those who nobody else wants Taos the worst of the worst exactly a chain becomes kind,
like the quarantine zone of the internet, a chance of hosted the largest group of cuban on supporters.
In cells, various other sort of internet communities
are really allowed or encouraged to congregate on other sites. They often set up shop on each hand, it's kind of a platform of last resort. So how does Jim? What kids come to the picture? So Jimmy?
kins is a fifty something army veteran who has been living in the Philippines for a number of years, he's kind of a libertarian free speech in absolutist guy, and he found
out about a Chan from his son and it's sort of strikes him as a interesting project and he contacts Frederick and basically offers to get involved.
So Jim has been swept around technology for
I'll his big successful project before a chance they ran and asian porn site. He made some money
that and then form a technology company, so he had a couple things that for
admitted he had money, he had some tech expertise and he was willing to get involved. So this
the two key figures in this site already designed to be
we speak Haven are an internet troll who didn't think the last sight he was on was free enough and the founder of reports and correct in tone
Fourteen Frederick decides to actually move to the Philippines to work with Jim on a chance,
So he leave New York, he moved to the Philippines and they start work
together on building a Chan into something bigger and better,
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if things go wrong in this partnership, so I'm not exactly sure what happened between Frederick
Jim, but at some point there was a rift they had disagreements. They serve had a falling out, and last year they formerly split Frederick, left Jim's company no longer has anything to do with a chance, and that serve coincides with the rise of these mass shootings and so Frederick then starts this kind of public campaign against Jim and each hand, and he becomes one of the most vocal critics of the site and of its ownership and he moved to the Philippines to work with Jim, but he stayed there. He never move back, so he still lives.
The Philippines actually quite close to Jim and they're, not really speaking, but he's now become this kind of prominent thorn in Jim side as he tries to run a scan it funny because, like ok on my way to charge I passed by where he lives, so it's like always when I passed by their like
because I'm a very let's just say it's like a very noticeable car right of unique collar, because I had a colored that way, you're just very unique, so I know that they are probably noticed me driving Bible, for because there are many people in that household in on me, as a driver who has made a wife, he has kids. So there's probably up at any one time. Somebody look
at the window and see and offer my car, and so he thinks you know, someone is probably seeing him drive passed its probably
a visual reminder to Jim that Frederick is there in pretty close proximity, giving him a hard time about each of us and the EU not other thing about it, as they still have that stupid, saying on the front of the site, embrace infamy
It's like they think this is funny. You know I never had that on there and you can check the archives to see that. That's true that embrace annual meeting as their thing- and you know it's like after Christchurch after the tree of life shooting and now after the shooting it's still there, it's like they think that this is all really funny or were infamous, were you know,
sorry, I am, does rave regulated, so it's like there is more to his desire to get this site shut down than his frustration with the attention that comes to him after the shootings or his grievances.
When Jim wagons that he is genuinely troubled and upset by what's happening on the site
yeah. I think he really is disturbed by what has been happening on a channel. Do you agree with people who said it becomes part of a haven for terrorist and say that I mean certain boards? Yes,
and specifically on a section of this site. That's about politics, com, Paul, P, L, P, o well, yeah Paul! You know the other news boards also to a degree but of course Paul as the biggest one. That's where a lot of these mass shooters had been going in.
There's a culture in Paul of kind of celebrating these mass shooters, while there,
carrying out the mass shootings and afterward. So, in a for example, after the synagogue
shooting in California. Earlier this year there was a thread on Paul that was basically
being the shooter on and these people are saying they they hoped he could beat the high score
the New Zealand Shooter by what she meant you're, killing more people than the New Zealand shooter, I would characterizes car the worst most vile part of the worst most vile website. I'm not saying that they cause the shooting by eight Jan is definitely highly implicated in three.
Things, and so I think, Frederick is really disturbed and he's not only disturbed that there is this kind of culture of celebrating.
Shooters in Lyon, arising them, he's also disturbed by kind of how
China is being used as a kind of archiving service when potential shooters saw how successful it was to pass on eight June, because in the past it was like they would post on Facebook only or twitter. Only an attack companies would suppress it really fast and there would be no archive. You know what I mean like it would not spread. You would not be able to find- and that happened a few- that's where the manifesto did not become public domain, but its back when they saw all. While these aid can users there good with computers, they love shooters. They ripped that lives room from Facebook, unlike minutes like if he had just posted on Facebook and maybe like a red flag more normal sites. I don't think anybody what a rip there. I don't think that would have gotten out there. Just the thing you know people say the internet is forever, but it cannot. It's gonna like among normal people, you know becoming even
Frederick succeeded in getting Jim to take down each man. Couldn't another site fulfil that war, he's ascribing to you and wooden another website pop up to fill that role instantly. Yet I mean we talked about this. I'm not even saying that if it cannot shut down that this kind of thing would stop. There is obviously a problem in american society that shutting down agent has not been effects, because this society gave rail rise to eight genital. Give rise to something else right like I'm, not I'm not politically ignorant enough to think that all we shut down it JANET's all over. Obviously, that's not true, but he does think that if Jim took down a term there wouldn't really be something that
hopped up to replace it exactly as it is with the same kind of culture of tolerating in celebrating violence. With the same on moderated structure, it wouldn't necessarily totally stop. These kinds of things are happening, but it won't happen every few months. It would be a more rare. I just feel like it would really slow things down if there was a big clear that site that lets you can just open the browser and type
numbers on better Saint get there. The internet is sort of divided into the clear net and the dark web, so the clear net is
Besides that, you and I visited its anything that you can get to your normal web. Browser with a normal internet connection is considered to be part of the clear net in the dark web is a different set of websites that you need special tools to access, including a browser called tore. I feel like. If it was plunged into tore, it would be harder for people that get that these chance sites that would make it much harder to access for the casual person who doesn't want to go through a whole lot of steps.
To get there you not teenagers, would have to learn a bunch of computers. Dove learn about poor, learn about networking. You know to be able to access these kind of sites, but it would kind of put more friction into the pond
says of discovering these sort of violent extremists communities this one I happen is often so yeah, maybe my reasons are partially selfish and obviously american society screwed by
Yes, I think it would help to a degree. Do we have any reason to believe that the shooting in El Paso might end with Frederick getting what he wants here, which has a Chan coming down here? I think there are two ways that this could be accomplished. The first way for each hand to come down would be basically for.
To get evicted from the internet by all of the sort of service providers. The web hosts the DNS registrars. The
areas like middle men who allow websites to get online and stand line,
and actually today we ve already seen a lot of that. So each man is down
right now in part, because cloud flare, one of the companies that is through a provider of services, Curdy services to each hand, pulled it off its platform because of the mass shooting another site that it tried to go to. As a result of that was also
pulled off line by its provider, so their sort of casting around looking for a new home somewhere
somewhere will probably hosted, and then there's this obvious, serve more direct way to get it taken down, which would be, if Jim decided to take it
right. That's the only way to guarantee the agent is down for good, is Jim Walk and sitting down correct, or am I give you can send him a message after this leave shooting like what would you tell him we're? What what will you tell him like? What's the matter you nothing, I think the best message is the one I send this morning before you know I went to church and try to come down. It's just shut the site down, it's not doing the world any good. It is a complete negative to everybody except me,
Isn't that are there and you know what it's a negative demand you they just don't realize it personal question. I dont know what kind of church you go to her or how you express your faith. Do you feel like you are looking for forgiveness for some part of your past, like I was fishing a little bit here cause I don't really know the story, but I do know that he became a pretty religious Christian in the Philippines, and I just-
and you know like what's that about, and what did he say he sort of thought about it and said you know yeah he gets in the way. Of course I mean we asked it,
forgiveness, maybe other point and then Sir, like soundly
hadn't been asked about it before and really thought about it, I'm just saying like yeah, maybe right, but I go every Sunday, so it's not like. I saw this happen and then I'm like. Oh I better go to church for forgiveness. Not wasn't like
at all because it like I go there and then, but then again at the beginning of your interview, he said I need you to go to church. They don't have to think about this latest bashing, and here is saying to you: yeah, there's something too
I mean this is clearly a person wrestling with his own culpability. The I certainly would interpret that. Where do you think you're ever gonna be able to escape it? Can you know I? I remain optimistic that I will just be such a thorn in the side that they will shut it down. I have to remain optimistic, but this is not going to keep happening intellect wanting thirty one. Forty, I don't know if I could deal with that
Frederick, thank you very much all elegant about the Prague Castle. It's kind of this incredible image, you you
have as american living in the Philippines watching from-
distance as this site that he bill is playing this horrific
war in mass shootings back in United States.
And the one guy who thinks can actually do something about. It is right down the street from him. Also watching all of this from afar yeah, it's a ver,
strange detail in a very sad and strange story can. Thank you. Thank you read me all the way back. What will returning to the workplace look like
at we work. This question is top of mind. That's why we're adapting our spaces, making sure that you and your team can continue working in a safe, healthy environment across our buildings were stepping up sanitation, maximizing, fresh, clean air and modifying seeding for distancing, plus
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Here's what else! You need to know that good morning, my fellow Americans this morning, our nation is overcome with cholera and sorrow this weekend, war than eighty people were killed or wounded
to evil attacks. In a speech on Monday, President Trump,
The mass shootings in Texas in Ohio Sing,
went out the gunman in El Paso who deliberately targeted immigrants.
The shooter in El Paso, hosted a manifest
Still online consumed by racist hate
in one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy.
These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has
place an american Trump card on the FBI to take whatever steps necessary to disrupt heat in called
for better ways to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, but he made no mention of new cars
mental illness and hatred pulled the trigger, not the gun,
Reed war between the. U S and China enter
a dangerous new phase on Monday when China
allowed the value of its currency to head
record Low, compared with the dollar China's currency,
tightly controlled and its leaders left
little doubt that
had deliberately dropped its value as a counter measure to present troms latest terrorist.
Oh. Lord chinese currency hurts the? U S by making chinese imports more afforded
two american consumers and making? U S, exports
were expensive to China.
He's consumers
that's it for the unworkable bar see tomorrow between two cancellations lost, creative gags end shrinking outer avenue. The covered nineteen crisis is making it clear that the system supporting creative people is broken. Patriarch offers a better way. We help creators make up lost revenue and build a more sustainable income source by offering a monthly membership to their fans. In turn, fans get access to exclusive community premium contents and the chance to become active participants in the work. They love check out, patriarch dot com now and help change the way art is valued,
Transcript generated on 2020-06-16.