AT&T Reportedly Blocks 4Chan. This Is Going To Get Ugly.

AT&T Reportedly Blocks 4Chan. This Is Going To Get Ugly.

www.techcrunch.com

As if AT&T wasn’t already bad enough. In an act that is sure to spark internet rebellions everywhere, AT&T has apparently declared war on the extremely popular imageboard 4chan.org, blocking some of the site’s most popular message boards, including /r9k/ and the infamous /b/. m00t, who started 4chan and continues to run the site, has posted a note to the 4chan status blog indicating that AT&T is in fact filtering/blocking the site for many of its customers (we’re still trying to confirm from AT&T’s side).

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
stormen.wordpress.com

I don't know if this is the correct place to post this, but this is just breaking and no major news stations are covering it yet; only various small news sites and blogs are talking about it.

Personally, I don't think the internet as a whole will allow this. Imagine the precedent it'll set if AT&T is allowed to do this?



www.techcrunch.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Edit- Putting summary on first page.

-Most AT&T DSL (largest ISP in the US, 15.5% of US Internet users) customers ARE currently not able to access img.4chan.org (/b/ & /r9k/)

-There are a few AT&T DSL users that are NOT affected. Florida, and Ohio are where we've gotten those reports. (Parts of Georgia are still alright as well.) AT&T is a megacorp made from the smaller pieces it was broken down into in the 80s- different equipment and such.

-AT&T Mobility (Cell Phones) and AT&T Uverse customers ARE NOT AFFECTED.(Lie, Uverse is blocking it also)

-It IS NOT a DNS issue. Affected people have tried OpenDNS with no success.

-It IS very visible on a traceroute. It drops within the AT&T network.

-It DOES NOT affect AT&Ts Tier 1 backbone (major bandwidth backbone in US).

-It DOES NOT affect other servers on 4chan.

-People HAVE called customer service (allegedly) and confirmed a block, but agents have denied further info.

Encyclopedia Dramatica

Update (8:45 PM 7/26): After over an hour of trying, we finally got someone from AT&T corporate to provide a statement. AT&T has confirmed that they are “currently blocking portions of the internet site 4chan.org”, but states that they are “following the practices of their policy department.”

AT&T went on to say that they did contact (or, at least, attempted to contact, they wouldn’t clarify) the owners of 4chan. They say that they have specific reasons why they blocked these parts of the site, but they would not disclose them to CentralGadget.com. AT&T states that they have requested specific things and changes from 4chan’s owners, and that 4chan has not complied.

Regardless, without a clear explanation of specific rational for blocking 4chan… both 4chan and CentralGadget.com encourage you to continue calling AT&T technical support, and filing your complaints there (escalate as high as possible, we have heard reports that Tier 1 support agents are being told to incorrectly state that AT&T doesn’t block any web site).

Update (9 PM 7/26): Moot, the owner of 4chan, has stated that 4chan has received no contact from AT&T, calling into question if AT&T followed their own protocol when blocking 4chan.

CentralGadget

[edit on 7/27/2009 by Hyzera]

Can't say I exactly like or support most the stuff posted at 4chan, but this is rediculous! If you don't like it, don't read it, thats what I do. We don't need isp's choosing what we can look at. You can't block or censor certain things on the net! This is BS!

Peace


[edit on 26-7-2009 by jeasahtheseer]

They aren't allowed to do it because of the net neutrality law unless they can say the site is malicious and causing issues with the networks performance.

I have never heard of the site before.

reply to post by whoshotJR


Only the NSFW "img" subdomain is blocked. The boards hosted on the SFW subdomains are still accessible. If the website is causing issues with the network's performance, why not just block the entire site?

Wish I knew the answer, I think we should first confirm the story as true.


Anyone using att that can confirm this? If so then maybe give your ISP a call and get the lowdown on it

I found another news article:
Censorship comes to America: AT&T blocks 4chan /b/

The censorship was first reported on Reddit, where users confirmed with AT&T that the site had indeed been censored, and was not being blocked due to a technical issue. 4chan owner Moot later confirmed the news, saying that the /r9k/ was also blocked and that AT&T users should “call or write [to] customer support and [AT&T] corporate immediately.”

The censorship at this time extended only to AT&T DSL customers, with wireless (3G) customers believed to be unaffected. Erling Løken Andersen notes that 15.5% of all US internet users use AT&T DSL, meaning that /b/ is now blocked somewhere around 40-60 million people in the United States.

There is no official word from AT&T on the decision yet, and given that it’s Sunday still in the US none is likely until business hours Monday. 4chan users though aren’t particularly happy about the decision, with /b/tards currently discussing ways to fight back against the imposition of censorship.

Originally posted by whoshotJR
Wish I knew the answer, I think we should first confirm the story as true.


Anyone using att that can confirm this? If so then maybe give your ISP a call and get the lowdown on it

I haven't heard of 4chan but I have AT&T and can confirm that I cannot seem to access those particular two boards. Every other nearby link and any other one I click on seems to be fine.

I can seem to access the forum just fine. I just went there because I wanted to see if my server blocked me from going there. I think this is against the law so legal action should be taken against ATNT. I can't imagine why they would want to get the most hard core nerds out there angry at them. That is a stupid move on their part in my opinion.

reply to post by Hyzera

Originally posted by Hyzera
Imagine the precedent it'll set if AT&T is allowed to do this?

soon, ATS will be blocked by ISPs because they don't like what's on here.
also, is this illegal?

Nope its not legal with the facts we currently know and based on precedent with Comcast and the FCC.

en.wikipedia.org...

Law in the United States
Main article: Network neutrality in the United States

There is ongoing legal and political wrangling in the US regarding net neutrality. In the meantime the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has used their jurisdiction[50] over the issue and has laid down guideline rules that it expects the telecommunications industry to follow. On February 11, 2008 Rep. Ed Markey and Rep. Chip Pickering introduced HR5353 "To establish broadband policy and direct the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a proceeding and public broadband summit to assess competition, consumer protection, and consumer choice issues relating to broadband Internet access services, and for other purposes."[51] On 1 August 2008 the FCC formally voted 3-to-2 to uphold a complaint against Comcast, the largest cable company in the US, ruling that it had illegally inhibited users of its high-speed Internet service from using file-sharing software. FCC chairman Kevin J. Martin said the order was meant to set a precedent that Internet providers, and indeed all communications companies, could not prevent customers from using their networks the way they see fit unless there is a good reason. In an interview Martin stated that “We are preserving the open character of the Internet.” The legal complaint against Comcast related to BitTorrent, software that is commonly used to download movies, television shows, music and software on the Internet.[52]

[edit on 26-7-2009 by whoshotJR]

reply to post by EnlightenUp


You get a star from me for being a brave soul and visiting the gutter of the internet known as 4chan.

You might not have heard of 4chan, but I'm sure you have been privy to some of the hoaxes and meem's that comes out of that place.

____________________

Interesting, this isn't going to go over well. I wonder if this is intentioned to get them riled up to see what would happen during a mass cyber attack from with in the US and what it would look like for "future planning" purposes.

This doesn't sound right. maybe a mistake? I doubt it. We will see.

[edit on 26-7-2009 by Hastobemoretolife]

This is not right if img.4chan.org was malicious i certainly would not be there and users views are very subjective was dusty malicious or was it right and if AT&T take it upon themselves to do this then don't blame the internet if it exorcises it's right to protest you know this new thing called "freedom of speech" that thing we seem to be losing.

reply to post by Hyzera


Oh yes it is right to post in breaking news. Lord knows fox news is not allowed to THINK the name 4chan or any other chan...

I stay away from the Chan... I like my computer hard drives but I know the legions go there....

And if this news be true then it will be seen as an act of war and the sum total of Anon will react...

What could those ATT guys be smoking? No system is safe... ever. Someone will always find a way some how and the best thing one can do is be good.... ATT is not being good....

I look forward to more news about this as Anon educates ATT about there folly.

is AT&T retarded?

they are declaring war on an army of hackers.

this is going to really hurt them in the long run, as these hackers unleash their malicious rage on the idiot corporation.

BTW for anyone that does not know, 4chan is a incredibly terrible place, IMHO, but I would NEVER agree to blocking them

I personally NEVER go there, because I am not into that messed up stuff, but cmon now, seriously, why would u pick a fight with one of the largest hacker + wannabe hacker armies in the world?

AT&T must love pain, because these 4chan dudes will destroy them

it will be hilarious to watch tho

i stay as far away as possible from that site, and for good reason

reply to post by titorite

I'm in their IRC channel right now. They're not going the usual DDoS route since DDoSing an ISP is the equivalent to "drowning the ocean by throwing buckets of water at it." They'll also lose public support if they start resorting to illegal measures.

Also, star & flag this. This is blatant internet censorship.

[edit on 7/26/2009 by Hyzera]

Originally posted by Hastobemoretolife
reply to post by EnlightenUp

 

You get a star from me for being a brave soul and visiting the gutter of the internet known as 4chan.

I'm not easily bothered by content but more by the way the blockage is implemented. All that happens is that there's no return on the connection and therefore it just looks like the website is inaccessible. Why not return a big "Content blocked by AT&T" page? The answer seems to be so that you cannot readily tell precisely just what they censor or not and thus one must conclude that they could be doing it on other sites. If the sites are not as high traffic then perhaps users simply dismiss it as a malfunction and move on without question.

You might not have heard of 4chan, but I'm sure you have been privy to some of the hoaxes and meem's that comes out of that place.

Perhaps but obviously I wouldn't know of their origins being 4chan since as I said I haven't heard of it. If I ever did visit it, it was by accident and I just forgot about it.

Edit: And yes, I S+F'ed this mutha.

[edit on 7/26/2009 by EnlightenUp]

I went to the r9 forum and found a file saying that AT&T was blocking the 4chan, and they are already talking retaliation...

First they came for AT&T users in certain areas, but I was not one of those users.

Then they came for Roadrunner users, but I was not a Roadrunner user.

Then they came for Comcast users, but it was too late.

Evidently it's blocked on U-verse...

Originally posted by Hyzera
reply to post by titorite

 

I'm in their IRC channel right now. They're not going the usual DDoS route since DDoSing an ISP is the equivalent to "drowning the ocean by throwing buckets of water at it." They'll also lose public support if they start resorting to illegal measures.

Also, star & flag this. This is blatant internet censorship.

[edit on 7/26/2009 by Hyzera]

there are probably people who work inside of AT&T that are 4chan junkies

some may not agree to illegal means, but others will do it anyway

like i dont know, going to work and infecting the whole network with a horrific virus, or just infecting the board of directors rather than the whole company

there are a million ways they can get back at AT&T and i am sure we will be hearing A LOT more about this soon!

i personally would never pick a fight with those guys, NO WAY LOL i may be stupid but im not that stupid, wow!

looks like the Internet wars have begun, I am going to take shelter in my Internet bunker! this is going to be brutal

there are a million ways they can get back at AT&T and i am sure we will be hearing A LOT more about this soon!

The anons in IRC are urging others to do nothing illegal this time. They need public support, and they're not going to get it if the media paints them as "hackers on steroids" again.