US cyber security firm Cloudflare has provided Internet infrastructure services to 8chan, reports CNN. But have now withdrawn their support.

“The reasons are simple: they have been found to be lawless and that lawlessness has caused several tragic deaths. Although 8chan may not have broken the law by refusing to moderate its hate-filled community, they have created an environment that turns against its spirit, ”Matthew Prince, the company's CEO, writes in a blog post.

"They are lawless"

He writes that it is not an easy decision, since Cloudflare is a subcontractor so you do not want to have strict guidelines, because the customers have to set their own rules for their sites.

“We reluctantly tolerate content that we think is reprehensible, but we draw the line on platforms that have shown that they directly inspire tragic events and are lawless in their form. 8chan has crossed that line. Therefore, they are no longer allowed to use our services, ”he writes.

Third time

The FBI has confirmed that the mass shooting in El Paso is being investigated as a case of domestic terrorism, and authorities are now investigating information that the suspected 21-year-old just before the council posted the document outlining his motives.

If the information is correct, this is the third time a mass shooting has been announced in advance on 8chan - only in the last six months. For example, the perpetrator of the Christchurch massacres in New Zealand used the same forum to post documents about his motives.

8chan was founded in 2013, as a variant of the similarly racist but marginally more moderate forum 4chan. When 4chan shut down some more misogyny or racist discussion threads, users have emigrated to 8chan in protest.