AT&T has made even more people than usual angry when it started blocking/filtering parts of 4chan late last night. The popular message board, famous for being able to brew online (and offline) shitstorms like no other web property could, saw portions of its publication – including /r9k/ and the infamous /b/ – blocked for AT&T customers across the United States. Quickly enough, there was a lot of rallying going on, with 4chan members and fans virtually gathering to plot digital riots and all-round mayhem.
An update on the situation as of 8 AM Eastern Time: access to 4chan has apparently been restored, with AT&T reportedly confirming the hours-long block of portions of the site, “following the practices of their policy department.” (see updates below)
AT&T went on to say that they contacted (or at least attempted to contact) the owners of 4chan, which Moot vehemently denies. AT&T told CentralGadget that they have specific reasons why they blocked these parts of the site, but they would not disclose them, further stating that they have requested specific things and changes from 4chan’s owners to which they have failed to comply.
Meanwhile, 4chan is apparently under DDoS attack, supposedly because of the attention the site has been getting for the past 12 hours. The site is sometimes down, sometimes up but very slow, according to various reports. Note that this is not AT&T’s responsibility and quite possibly even the reason for the company to have made the dangerous decision of restricting access to the message board in the first place.
Updates coming, including some of the actions taken by 4chan members and friends to retaliate.
Update 1: this thread on Digg (760 votes and counting) pointed to a now-removed fake article at CNN’s iReport about the death of AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson.
Update 2: there’s pledge up at ThePoint to boycott AT&T and cancel the Internet service with them.
Update 3: YouTube alert
Update 4: an announcement on the Project AT&T forum reads: “All rioting/’war’/protests have been suspended for the time being.”
Update 5: AT&T got back to us with a statement
Beginning Friday, an AT&T customer was impacted by a denial-of-service attack stemming from IP addresses connected to img.4chan.org. To prevent this attack from disrupting service for the impacted AT&T customer, and to prevent the attack from spreading to impact our other customers, AT&T temporarily blocked access to the IP addresses in question for our customers. This action was in no way related to the content at img.4chan.org; our focus was on protecting our customers from malicious traffic.
Overnight Sunday, after we determined the denial-of-service threat no longer existed, AT&T removed the block on the IP addresses in question. We will continue to monitor for denial-of-service activity and any malicious traffic to protect our customers.
Update 6: 4chan owner Moot has updated the status blog with a bit of an explanation:
Here’s what happened:
For the past three weeks, 4chan has been under a constant DDoS attack. We were able to filter this specific type of attack in a fashion that was more or less transparent to the end user.
Unfortunately, as an unintended consequence of the method used, some Internet users received errant traffic from one of our network switches. A handful happened to be AT&T customers.
In response, AT&T filtered all traffic to and from our img.4chan.org IPs (which serve /b/ & /r9k/) for their entire network, instead of only the affected customers. AT&T did not contact us prior to implementing the block. Here is their statement regarding the matter.
In the end, this wasn’t a sinister act of censorship, but rather a bit of a mistake and a poorly executed, disproportionate response on AT&T’s part. Whoever pulled the trigger on blackholing the site probably didn’t anticipate [nor intend] the consequences of doing so.
We’re glad to see this short-lived debacle has prompted renewed interest and debate over net neutrality and internet censorship—two very important issues that don’t get nearly enough attention—so perhaps this was all just a blessing in disguise.
Aside from that, I’ll also add that there is some big news due later this week. Keep an eye on the News page, Twitter, and global message for updates.
As always, I can be reached at moot@4chan.org.
—
PS: If any companies would like to hook us up with some better hardware, feel free! The architecture we’ve got powering this large and influential beast is really quite embarrassing. ( ._.)
Meanwhile, 4chan is apparently under DDoS attack << oops that sucks, hope its back soon!
when ISNT 4chan under ddos attack?
anyways, we, anonymous, have won this round.
This is pretty crazy. Hope the site gets sorted out very soon.
Moot “vehemently denies” AT&T contacted him since he wrote this?
> Also, note that AT&T has yet to contact us.
AT&T claimed they contacted the site’s owners before the block, which Moot says is not true.
That’s hardly a vehement denial by any stretch of the imagination.
Toned it down, but fact remains AT&T says they have contacted 4chan’s owners, who deny that statement.
Yeah, but Robin, how many other times has AT&T lied, or done something shady to cover their asses?
i used to have at&t and due to bad experiences with them i made the switch. they should really think of changing their name to AT&L.
APPARENTLY Cogent are blocking 4chan, this was posted on status.4chan.org but promptly removed. Apparently, anyway.
This isn’t surprising.
I’ve been a 4channer for years now…and honestly I haven’t seen a more motivated and pissed 4chan since…hell never.
This thing exploded. AT&T CEO’s were doxed in minutes.
If AT&T hadn’t restored service…I really fear what would have happened.
A bunch of losers and pedophiles would have complained on a message board. Oh no!
anon is not familiar with the 4chan clan, apparently.
If you really think 4chan could do serious damage to a company like AT&T, you are even more stupid than the average TC commenter. We are talking about one of the largest communications companies in the world. You are dreaming if you think a bunch of /b/tards could compromise them to a point that it would hurt. AT&T rescinded due to legal reasons, not because they fear the wrath of a bunch of jobless perverts.
Obviously the stock hit AT&T after the false report of their CEOs death doesn’t affect AT&T at all.
These days, a single rumor can kill your stock price.
And when, “a bunch of jobless perverts,” take to the streets and start protesting outside of your store… no one wants to shop there.
Considering the stock is flat on the day, yeah, it doesn’t affect AT&T at all. If anything, a temporary dip based on a false rumor will result in savvy traders acting on a buy opportunity which will have the end result of driving price up.
I’m done commenting on this thread. It’s apparent it’s filled with nothing but children and foolish adults. Anyone who thinks 4chan has real influence or power over big business is an idiot and most likely a regular troll over there.
anon is seriously underestimating the /b/tards.
There was some talk of physically destroying AT&T fiber. I think a month long block could’ve seen this happening. Fiber is virtually impossible to protect if people know where it’s buried and this could’ve caused severe disruptions.
This plus everything else that could happen should make any company extremely nervous.
Upsetting a large number of mentally unstable yet resourceful people is never a good idea (yes most b/tards are mentally stable but certainily not all).
Before it’s too late you guys
WE SERIOUSLY
NEED TO HAVE NET NEUTRALITY LAWS
CODIFIED
ONCE AND FOR GOOD
Americans, tell the FCC you support an open Internet and a National Broadband Plan!
http://www.free...nbb-fcc-comment
just block /b/ No one posts child porn in /a/
You’re kidding, right? /a/ gets tons of CP posted to it, especially recently. “Everyday until Taiga & Jack are permabanned” ring a bell?
Who needs to wait for facts when it’s so fun to claim corporate ass-hattery!? Good to see TechCrunch keeping up to date with all this, I was getting annoyed at the swarms of idiots out in force else ware.
“Note that this is not AT&T’s responsibility and quite possibly even the reason for the company to have made the dangerous decision of restricting access to the message board in the first place.”
I love how you bury this in the article and still add “dangerous” to slap your opinion on it. Sorry, guys, but Slashdot has a much more intelligent conversation on this whole matter.
http://tech.sla...-4chan?from=rss
This is beginning to sound like TechCrunch inciting a mob for more ad views.
Agreed. ISP’s regularly protect their networks from these kinds of things, but it wouldn’t be a story without some hype!
Hope it’ll be coming back ASAP.
I never heard of no 4 chan before. What’s that?
A breeding ground for trolls and pedophiles. Seriously kid, don’t go there.
Interesting article on 4 Chan.
listen up. if u say anon cant harm ATT, ur wrong.
ATT employs a lot of /b/ tards, including me.
a lot of young tech savvy people work there who are outraged about this.
att also loves to leave sensitive informatioin laying around for us peons who work there.
enough said.
Ooh scary! Have fun showering in federal prison.
LOL
I like you
You see, like me, that 4chan is simply a breeding ground for trolls and pedophiles. TBH the whole site should be shut down. (I agree with freedom on the internet but child pornography is disgusting and 4chan is basically the only non-dedicated CP site where it crops up, so…)
If that Update 1 is the reason why AT&T blocked it, then that’s incredible. Corporate censorship at its best.
Is AT&T working hand in hand with the People’s Republic of China to protect us poor internet users from horrendous, pornographic and democratic content?
May AT&T put a Green Dam chip in my iPhone….
I must say this is a better excuse than the likes of AT&T usually comes up with. They are getting better at lying.
I’m glad this happened – gives the people more ammo to enact net neutrality laws.
I know this has been said before but I think TC has gone from being an “Economist” kind of viewpoint to “fox news” and this has happened fast. I understand that they dont want to miss stories but one needs to be careful not to get lost in the masses. I really think TC needs to go back to informed, measured analysis. The TC writers these days seem to have lost that editorial discretion and even some of the titles for the posts come across as very juvenile. I love GigaOm simply for the fact that while they still bash companies, they don’t do it with a fratboy attitude.
It’s not up to ANY ISP to tell what a Website should / can / cannot do. It’s their BUSINESS TO PROVIDE ACCESS. If AT&T wants to be dicks about it, then they should Epic Fail and get out of being an ISP. They’re already illegally blocking Usenet. Doesn’t those actions violate federal FCC laws? thou shalt provide unfettered access to the net?
it was probably automatically blocked by their security set up due to the ddos attack and has already been lifted. no big deal really. would have been interesting to see 4chan retaliate though
What total and complete hogwash. 90 percent of the commenters on this board should think before they type out such drivel. Read Update 5 carefully:
1) An AT&T customer was impacted by DDOS coming from an ISP connected to 4chan…
2) To prevent the attack from impacting other customers, AT&T temporarily blocked access to the IP.
3) The action was in no way related to the content on 4chan (which by the way is often filled with the most vicious, incindiary, hateful, demeaning crap you can imagine).
4) The focus was on protecting CUSTOMERS from malicious traffic (Most likely many customers like you).
5) When the threat no longer existed, the block was lifted.
So, AT&T did exactly what it was supposed to do, and the digital mobsters go bananas. If they hadn’t done what they were supposed to do and your web service was affected, you’d also go bananas.
Everyone screams “net neutrality” before getting any of the facts, there’s no “measured analysis”, no “lets wait and get AT&T’s side of the story…” 4chan puts out a press release that AT&T’s ceo has died of a cocaine overdose, bloggers write breathless headlines about how AT&T is filtering content, etc. etc.
If I was AT&T, I wouldn’t want you as my customers. You’re the digital equivalent of the rude, obnoxious a-holes who call customer service unhinged for the most trifling of reasons…
You’re filled with sputtering rage over the most inconsequential nonsense.
How about getting the facts first people???
The fact is, AT&T doesn’t have a sterling reputation among its customers- I find it to be a logical assumption that if many AT&T customers cannot reach 4chan, then AT&T is (maliciously) blocking 4chan, again, logical given AT&T’s reputation. It is the nature (and benefit) of the internet that information can move quickly, as it should. AT&T had good intentions, but they should have publicized their side of the story MUCH sooner. (It also wouldn’t have hurt to show a page with a message of explanation to 4chan users.)
Facts first is all fine and dandy, but to my knowledge today was the first time AT&T even released any facts (the info in Update 5) so it doesn’t seem totally unreasonable for people to wonder what was going on when they suddenly couldn’t reach a website for an unexplained reason.
For the record I don’t much like 4chan and never go there, but I think AT&T not immediately (on Friday evening) releasing a statement about the DDoS on one of their customers was a bit irresponsible and it’s not totally surprising what happened, especially considering the site that was blocked and the community surrounding it.
Anyone have the link to a copy of the fake iReport? Looks like CNN pulled down the original.
4chan before all of the fax are known: DON’T CENSOR US!!! DON’T CENSOR US!!!
4chan after the REAL story: Uhhh…..PLEASE someone try to censor us???
What a f’ing joke.
>What a f’ing joke.
The only ones who are a joke are people who censor themselves.
I’m 12 and what is this?
I’m wondering if you replaced 4chan with “cnn.com” if anyone would have given a shit about this story.
I like very much the writings and pictures and explanations in your adress so I look forward to see your next writings.
To provide useful information, please click to view
Bose headphones
ghd Hair Straightener
Women is Dakota
Sundance UGG Boots
Thank you!
“Note that this is not AT&T’s responsibility and quite possibly even the reason for the company to have made the dangerous decision of restricting access to the message board in the first place.”
A dangerous decision to block viruses, trojans and uncontrollable script programs emanating from the 4 Chan site. OH PULEEZE. And we are suppose to take what 4 chan says? Don’t make me VOMIT. 4 Chan has REPEATEDLY proven again and again that they are infantile and violent.
Some people seriously need to get their heads out of their asses and grow the hell up.
For the sake of one person I know in real life who hangs out on 4chan and who has pissed me off beyond repair I sincerely hope 4chan remains under attack forever. 4chan is an over-sized pile of shit, anyway.
Update 6 says 4Chan owner Moot gave a bit of an explanation:
Well hellz bellz, what d’ya know?
It’z another teachable moment!
uhuh uhuh!