this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2025
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If 4chan continues to ignore Ofcom, the forum could be blocked in the UK. And 4chan could face even bigger fines totaling about $23 million or 10 percent of 4chan’s worldwide turnover, whichever is higher. 4chan also faces potential arrest and/or "imprisonment for a term of up to two years," the lawsuit said.

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[–] nuxi@lemmy.world 38 points 2 days ago

4chan's actual legal response to this can be summarized as "We are incorporated in Delaware which has not been subject to UK law since 1783. See the Treaty of Paris".

[–] PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk 109 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (10 children)

British government fines an American company, based in America, for serving data from American servers that was compliant with American law.

This whole law is complete overreach. It's like banning a book and then getting mad at the author when one of your citizens buys one on holiday and brings it back with them

[–] ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online 17 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I think Iran should fine the UK just as much for allowing the Satanic verses to be sold since that novel are banned in Iran.

Any argument they give is the same argument why the 4chan shit is laughable.

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[–] General_Effort@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago

Salman Rushdie: First time?

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[–] nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 days ago

4chan can be the first website blocked by the great firewalls of British cooking. potatoes and boiled cocks. not bad if im honest

[–] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

Offcom has been drinking, came home in a blackout and committed domestic abuse of 4chan. Does Offcom even internet? Alternative plot twist, Offcom is trolling 4chan.

I wanna say that Offcom is doing a good job and trying to protect British people in good faith but I feel like they are being used as a cudgel by the British ruling class to advance an anachronistic agenda. Don't forget, they fired their expert drugs advisor for telling them that MDMA is comparable to horse riding in terms of safety. They want certain things to be true, regardless of the scientific accuracy.

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[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 29 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This censorship shit is out of control.

Damn fucking straight. I hope it starts an privacy movement so big they realize that all the laws passed since 2000 against terrorism were abject failures and repeal all of them.

Canada is trying to pass major surveillance shit on par with the patriot act on steroids and effectively nullify the need for warrants, all in the name of 'strong borders' and anti terrorism even though it literally gives many US owned and operated companies full and complete access to digital information on Canadians, ironically weakening borders in every way.

And for what? What is the terrorism threat? Al-Qaeda was a always a joke, and the fact that 9/11 happened was far more due to a monumental failure of all intelligence services combined and not due to a lack of resources. Terrorist schemes have been thwarted in the past without the need for extensive surveillance... and most plots are still thwarted primarily by informants and insiders speaking to authorities. The whole 'we need to be super proactive ' has yielded shit results.

Most of the stuff that they claim was 'prevented proactively ' was literally entrapment. They found some mentally ill and/or lonely people who would have done nothing on their own, but ended up being goaded into stupid crap when undercover agents flirted with them, encouraged them, and even offered weapons and explosives for them to use, and if they agreed... well, that's when they nabbed them. No terrorism would have occurred if agents didn't do shit.

Have you ever wondered why so many people are highly distrustful of people talking about doing violent shit? Fed posting? Its because agents have such a long ass history of doing that that you cannot tell who is and who isn't a Fed.

[–] nucleative@lemmy.world 120 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (13 children)

This is a case of stupid laws that still don't understand the internet (35+ years in to wide use, mofos)

If an http GET request initiated from country A traverses routers and wires around the globe to grab some data from a server in country B, then we have to accept that the owners of the server are not "operating in country A" and in fact the user in country A is responsible for import.

If some laws in country A have a problem with this, then they should unplug their internet wires at the border, or at least learn how to use them and/or govern their citizens.

All that is tongue in cheek to say they can fuck right off.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 29 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (6 children)

Yeah it's a stupid law and they were told it wouldn't work by industry experts. But the politicians that were in power when all this was first been decided were Conservatives and therefore arrogant and of the opinion that if they don't like something, it's realities responsibility to reconfigure itself.

Then Labour got in and for some reason implemented the stupid law anyway despite having heard none of the consultations, and of course now it turns out that the consultations told them not to do it. Now I'm sure the industry experts would have been ignored anyway but Labour look really daft now.

They have basically accepted that this law is unworkable and is basically going to be ignored by everyone, but they still have to go through all of the pantomime of trying to enforce it. I'm sure eventually they'll quietly kill it because the whole thing has been such an embarrassment for them.

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[–] General_Effort@lemmy.world 19 points 3 days ago (10 children)

If some laws in country A have a problem with this, then they should unplug their internet wires at the border, or at least learn how to use them and/or govern their citizens.

What used to be called The Great Firewall of China. It used to be unthinkable for western countries.

You can't blame this on old people. This is only happening now that the Boomers are on the way out. People who sent international letters or made international phone calls were aware that they were communicating with a different country with different laws. I think we are seeing this now, because now we have people who experience the internet as something happening on their own phone, at their location.

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 41 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

4chan also faces potential arrest and/or "imprisonment for a term of up to two years," the lawsuit said.

I wanna see how a website would be sent to jail.

[–] biggeoff@sh.itjust.works 34 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Clearly they're after the notorious hacker known as 4chan

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[–] Cybersteel@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They could go after the owner. I believe he lives in Japan, all the UK has to do is send an extradition request to the Japanese government, bing bang boom all done.

Which they would laugh at. Even the Chinese government would laugh at such a request. It isn't something that is considered universally a crime, like robbery and murder, but the type of shit they are asking for is so fucking unprecedented and unreasonable it's stupid.

It would be like if the UK demanded that France immediately extradite all legal handgun owners in France (where handguns are legal) because it is a crime to possess one in Great Britain and therefore they are criminals. Makes no sense.

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[–] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 153 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Imagine running a website for 20 years, changing absolutely nothing, and one day you're being targeted because someone else on the other side of the planet changed something at their end.

Tell them to piss off.

They'll come after your phpbb instance next.

[–] CallateCoyote@lemmy.world 54 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

“Block us then. We’re not paying your fines and you’ll never arrest us as we’ll never step foot in your country. Get fucked.” That’s about the response I’d have I think… attached with a photo of tubgirl or something for the classic lawls.

[–] anarchyrabbit@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Ok I wish I did not search for tubgirl now

[–] spiffpitt@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago

i will learn from your mistake

[–] nevemsenki@lemmy.world 104 points 3 days ago (16 children)

If you're ok with this then imagine your local lemmy instance getting fined by China/Qatar/Thailand/etc for posting something breaking their laws.

[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 21 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Fine the phone company for allowing calls they don't like.

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[–] Balldowern@lemmy.zip 9 points 2 days ago

Should Ofcom be labelled as a terrorist organisation ?

[–] Rooty@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago

Will the notorious hacker known as 4chan finally get his comeuppance?

[–] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 178 points 3 days ago (52 children)

The UK should just block sites that don't comply. They have no business trying to fine US websites.

[–] richardwallass@sh.itjust.works 51 points 3 days ago

People should fight for their rights and free speech and make pressure on the gouvernement. Blocking is isolationism.

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[–] tal@lemmy.today 86 points 3 days ago (2 children)

4chan also faces potential arrest and/or “imprisonment for a term of up to two years,” the lawsuit said.

You don't want to be locked in a small cell with 4chan for two years.

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 38 points 3 days ago

"I'm not stuck here with you. You're stuck here with me!"

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[–] nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

they don't have that kind of money they can't pay that shit are you nuts

[–] nagaram@startrek.website 1 points 1 day ago

Probably why they didn't do it in the first place.

They barely pay for moderation. Who is going to pay for that survey? And also why would they? Obviously most of the people on that site are under 18. That's when I used it.

What other demographic clicks the horny ads they run?

[–] ImgurRefugee114@reddthat.com 71 points 3 days ago (1 children)

They'll never control the hacker known as 4chan

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 22 points 3 days ago

I think 4chan is a pretty cool guy. Eh gets fined by the UK and doesn't afraid of anything.

[–] Gemini24601@lemmy.world 27 points 2 days ago (12 children)

Is it even possible for Ofcom to legally fine 4chan for these issues? How does a company in the UK fine a US company?

[–] CatDogL0ver@lemmy.world 1 points 19 hours ago

It isn't really an US company for say. It just conveniently claims itself an US company. The servers probably are not in the US

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[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 27 points 3 days ago (2 children)

4chan is likely using this to take it to the courts.

[–] MeThisGuy@feddit.nl 28 points 3 days ago (2 children)

hope they write their legal battle in green txt

[–] Bgugi@lemmy.world 41 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

be me

American't social mediatard

Britbongs demand money

Notmyproblem.png

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[–] ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online 11 points 2 days ago

They have no way of making them pay.

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