4chan refuses to pay UK Online Safety Act fines, asks Trump admin to intervene

In a bold move, the legal representatives of 4chan have declared that the controversial imageboard will not comply with financial penalties imposed under the United Kingdom's Online Safety Act. Attorney Preston Byrne articulated this stance during an interview with BBC, asserting that the notices from Ofcom do not impose any legal requirements for 4chan in the United States. Byrne characterized the UK regulator's scrutiny as part of an 'illegal campaign of harassment' aimed at American tech companies. He emphasized, '4chan has not violated any laws in the United States. My client will not pay any fines.' The investigation by Ofcom began in June, focusing on whether 4chan is adequately preventing its platform from being exploited for illegal activities. On August 13, Ofcom disclosed that it has issued a provisional notice of contravention to 4chan Community Support LLC for neglecting two requests for information. The regulator is still evaluating whether 4chan has failed to fulfill its obligations to safeguard users from illegal content. Ofcom is reportedly considering an initial fine of £20,000, which could escalate with daily penalties. The maximum potential fines under this act could reach £18 million or 10% of the company's global revenue, depending on which amount is higher. When approached for comment, Ofcom refrained from discussing the ongoing investigation. Legal expert Emma Drake highlighted the complexities involved in enforcing penalties against an offshore entity like 4chan. She noted that Ofcom could explore alternative measures, such as seeking court orders to disrupt the website's UK operations by removing it from search results or blocking UK payment channels. In extreme cases, Ofcom might even request that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) restrict access to the site from the UK. 4chan has faced significant scrutiny in the past, including temporary bans by ISPs in Australia and New Zealand in 2019 when it was found to be hosting a video of the Christchurch mass shooting. The site has been labeled in research as one of the most toxic environments on the Internet, notorious for hate speech, trolling, and various forms of harmful content. Furthermore, the site experienced a major outage following a significant hacking incident in April, which underscores the challenges it faces as an online platform.