8chan co-creator sought to clear name, says PNP anti-cybercrime unit

One of the Philippines-based creators of the website 8chan or Infinity Chan has sought to clear his name before the Anti-Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police.

According to Dano Tincungco's report on "State of the Nation with Jessica Soho", this developed as the PNP-ACG vowed to intensify its patrol of the internet for online hate and statements that may lead to crime.

It was on 8chan that those behind mass shootings in El Paso in Texas, Poway in California, and Christchurch in New Zealand posted their respective manifestos.

Frederick Brennan, one of the creators of the website, was traced to the Philippines by authorities.

"Pumunta rito si Brennan para i-clear yung name niya, ano. As he said, sabi niya hindi na siya yung legitimate owner n'un at ang binabanggit niya ay si Jim Watkins," PNP-ACG spokesman Police Major Levy Lozada said.

‘Sinister behavior’

In a video uploaded to Youtube on Tuesday, Watkins said the deadly attacks in American cities were a tragedy.

But Watkins insisted 8chan had not broken any laws, and devoted most of his seven-and-a-half-minute video to criticizing the subsequent moves to shut down his forum.

"It is actually sinister behavior. Ours is one of the last independent companies that offer a place you may write down your thoughts free from having to worry about whether they are offensive to one group or another," Watkins said.

Lozada said the PNP unit is ready to coordinate with law enforcement agencies that would need the information they would find as regards 8chan.

"We are looking at duon sa kung saan naka-host yung and kung ano pang information ang makukuha natin pertaining dun sa radicalization," Lozada said.

"Kung dito na siya naka-host sa Pilipinas, it's easdy for us to get information regarding the website," he added.

Patrolling for hate

Lozada said the PNP-ACG would scour the internet, public online forums and the social media for hateful messages.

He said police officers of the unit were highly trained to determine whether a statement has a radicalized, terrorist or criminal element.

"It's similar with the traditional patrolling but here we are patrolling in the cyberspace using our computers," Lozada said.

"Halimbawa mayro'n kaming makita sa forum 'no na mayrong possible crime na mangyayari, we can coordinate with the nearest police stations na responsibilitry niya yung area na yun," he added.

Lozada dismissed notions that what the PNP-ACG was a form of espionage.

He said the unit was guided by the Data Privacy Act.

Going offline

8chan went offline on Tuesday last week after Seattle-based Epik became the latest provider to cut ties.

In a statement, Epik's chief executive, Rob Monster, cited concerns about its inadequate enforcement and a greater possibility of violent radicalization.

In the heavily Hispanic city of El Paso on August 3, a gunman killed 22 people at a Walmart store.

Authorities have cited a lengthy anti-immigrant manifesto, apparently posted on 8chan by the suspect, as evidence of a racial motivate.

After the shooting, U.S. cyber security firm CloudFlare withdrew services from 8chan, prompting it to sign up with Epik.

Epik's own web infrastructure provider, Voxility, dropped it as a customer in response.

Summoned to US House

The US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee demanded that owner Watkins testify about 8chan's efforts to tackle "the proliferation of extremist content, including white supremacist content."

The committee's Democratic chairman, Bennie Thompson, and Mike Rogers, its ranking Republican, sent a letter to Watkins to appear, calling the El Paso massacre "at least the third act of supremacist violence linked to your website this year." —with reports from Agence France-Presse and Reuters/NB, GMA News