Am I missing something here? 4chan is available in the UK so has to follow UK laws there, where is the problem? Regardless of whatever it is they are enforcing.

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kstrauser 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Here's an example demonstrating why this is insane:

Suppose North Korea sends you a letter demanding that you take down a blog post joking about Kim Jong-un being chubby, because that's illegal in North Korea. Do you feel obligated to comply with that demand? After all, your blog could possibly be read by someone in North Korea.

I don't have anything against the UK. They've been our good buddies since a spat we had a couple hundred years ago. But I feel every bit as obligated to follow UK law as to obey North Korean law, which is to say, not at all.

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treesknees 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

4chan, the owner/company, does not operate out of the UK. It’s a US company. They are only bound to US laws.

Just because UK internet users are able to establish a network connection to 4chan’s server via ISP peering agreements does not mean 4chan are subject to UK law.

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patrickmay 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

This is the right framing. No site, including 4chan, is forcing their content on innocent Brits. The only way people in the UK see 4chan is by proactively establishing a connection to the site and requesting the download of data. Those users, not 4chan, are the active agents. If the UK government wants to control what its subjects request online, they should pass laws regulating that behavior.

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jeroenhd a day ago | parent | prev [-]

As long as 4chan sells 4chan passes to UK citizens, they do business in the UK. They sell using crypto so there's not much for the UK to go after, but they do more than just "be available".

	▲	treesknees 17 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Two counter points. First, crypto is not part of the UK government's financial systems or institutions. They don't automatically hold jurisdiction over all crypto transactions, or more specifically, crypto service providers. Second, again, 4chan does not operate in the UK. If someone in the UK purchases a 4chan pass, they have electronically transmitted their "money" over to the US to buy it. I would compare this to a UK citizen flying over to the US and buying a ticket, and bringing it back with them to the UK. It's very clear, 4chan did not perform any business or transactions within UK jurisdiction.
	▲	EarlKing a day ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Great! If this is so, then you should be able to prove that UK citizens are using crypto to purchase their services and that 4chan is expressly aware of this fact. I'm sure this proof will be forthcoming presently...

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jabroni_salad 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I think if the UK wants to operate on such an assumption, they should move to national firewall with a whitelist model rather than a blacklist.

	▲	cynicalsecurity 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		The People's Republic of UK.

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ibejoeb 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

4chan is available. As far as I know, it is not operated in the UK. If anything, it is the UK-based user that is acting unlawfully. If the UK wants to block 4chan, it is free to do so.