8chan was created in 2013 by Fredrick Brennan as a "free speech" alternative to 4chan. While 4chan had begun to implement stricter moderation to curb illegal content, 8chan’s founding principle was that almost any content was permissible as long as it was legal under United States law.
However, because the site allowed users to create their own boards (similar to subreddits), it quickly became a haven for content that was banned elsewhere. This included extremist political movements, coordinated harassment campaigns, and "zoo" boards. The "Zoo" Boards: A Dark Subculture zoo 8chan
In 2019, after the site was linked to the shooters in the Christchurch, El Paso, and Poway attacks, major infrastructure providers like Cloudflare and Voxility dropped their support. This effectively knocked the site offline. When it eventually returned as , many of the most explicit "zoo" boards were formally banned or moved to even more obscure corners of the Dark Web (Tor network) to avoid further de-platforming. Legal and Ethical Implications 8chan was created in 2013 by Fredrick Brennan
The keyword "" refers to one of the most controversial and legally fraught corners of the deep web and extreme surface-web imageboards. To understand this topic, one must look at the history of 8chan (now rebranded as 8kun), the nature of its decentralized moderation, and the specific subcultures that emerged within its "zoo" boards. What was 8chan? When it eventually returned as , many of
The existence of the "zoo" boards, alongside boards dedicated to child exploitation and white supremacy, eventually led to the downfall of the original 8chan.
While the site claimed to follow U.S. law, the "zoo" boards frequently skirted or outright ignored laws regarding animal cruelty and the distribution of obscene material.
Because this content is a major taboo and illegal in many jurisdictions, 8chan became one of the few places where "zoos" (individuals who identify as being attracted to animals) could congregate anonymously.
