Examine individual changes

'{{short description|American internet forum}} {{pp-blp|small=yes}} {{Infobox website | name = Kiwi Farms | logo = File:KiwiFarmsLogo.svg | logo_size = | url = https://kiwifarms.net | commercial = Yes | type = [[Internet forum|Forum]] | registration = Optional | language = English, with the exception of the 'Internationale Clique' subforum for non-English discussions | owner = Joshua "Null" Moon<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-12-07|title=Kiwi Farms says it will shut down if Section 230 is repealed|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/kiwi-farms-section-230-repeal/|access-date=2021-06-28|website=The Daily Dot|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-02-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226074151/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/kiwi-farms-section-230-repeal/|url-status=live}}</ref> | launch_date = {{start date and age|2013|02|04}} | current_status = Online }} '''Kiwi Farms''', formerly known as '''CWCki Forums''', is an American [[Internet forum]] dedicated to the discussion of online figures and communities it deems "lolcows" (people who can be "milked for laughs"). The targets of threads are often subject to [[doxing]] and other forms of organized group [[trolling]], harassment, and stalking, including real-life harassment by users.<ref name="NewYork"/><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Dastagir|first=Alia E.|date=July 23, 2021|title='The internet is not a game. ... This stuff really hurts.' Respected developer who was bullied online dies by suicide.|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/07/23/how-toxic-online-cultures-trolling-and-bullying-contribute-suicide/8042846002/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211001/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/07/23/how-toxic-online-cultures-trolling-and-bullying-contribute-suicide/8042846002/| archive-date=2021-10-01|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|access-date=July 24, 2021|website=[[USA Today]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Harassment stemming from Kiwi Farms has been implicated in the [[suicide]]s of three people targeted by users of the site.{{refn|name=suicides|<ref>{{Cite web|last=Baj|first=Lavender|date=July 13, 2021|title=Kiwi Farms Has 14 Days To Find A New Domain Host After Being Booted Off DreamHost|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/07/kiwi-farms-domain-registrar/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211001/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/07/kiwi-farms-domain-registrar/| archive-date=2021-10-01|url-status=live|access-date=July 13, 2021|website=[[Kotaku]] Australia|language=en-AU}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Wodinsky|first=Shashona|date=June 29, 2021|title=The Worst Site on the Web Gets DDoS'd After Being Connected to Prominent Developer's Suicide|url=https://gizmodo.com/the-worst-site-on-the-web-gets-ddosd-after-being-connec-1847196197|url-status=live|access-date=June 29, 2021|website=[[Gizmodo]]|language=en-us|archive-date=June 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629232418/https://gizmodo.com/the-worst-site-on-the-web-gets-ddosd-after-being-connec-1847196197}}</ref><ref name=":3" /><ref name="Near Suicide Kotaku" /><ref name="Insider-Colombo"/>}} == History == [[image:KiwiJoshMoon.png|thumb|left|Website founder/owner Joshua “Null” Moon.]] The website was originally launched as a forum website to troll and harass a webcomic artist who was first noticed in 2007 on a [[4chan]] video game board.<ref name="NewYork" />{{r|Veale|p=8–9}} Eventually, an [[Encyclopedia Dramatica]] page was created about the artist. A dedicated [[wiki]], titled "CWCki" based on the artist's initials, was created by people who felt that the Encyclopedia Dramatica entry was not detailed or accurate enough.<ref name="NewYork">{{cite web|last=Pless|first=Margaret|title=Kiwi Farms, the Web's Biggest Community of Stalkers|url=http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/07/kiwi-farms-the-webs-biggest-community-of-stalkers.html|website=Intelligencer|publisher=New York Magazine|access-date=May 12, 2019|date=July 19, 2016|archive-date=May 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511184633/http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/07/kiwi-farms-the-webs-biggest-community-of-stalkers.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Kiwi Farms was originally called "CWCki Forums"; despite containing the word "[[Kiwi (bird)|kiwi]]", it has no connection with [[New Zealand]].<ref name=Newshub>{{cite news |title=Kiwi Farms website refuses to help police in Christchurch terror case |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/03/kiwi-farms-website-refuses-to-help-police-in-christchurch-terror-case.html |work=Newshub |date=March 18, 2019 |access-date=April 24, 2019 |archive-date=April 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418011244/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/03/kiwi-farms-website-refuses-to-help-police-in-christchurch-terror-case.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the June 2021 suicide of Near, a software developer who had been a target of harassment from Kiwi Farms users, [[DreamHost]] gave the site owner notice that they would no longer provide [[domain registration]] services. Kiwi Farms subsequently began using a Russian registrar.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gault|first=Matthew|date=July 13, 2021|title=Notorious Website Kiwi Farms Loses Its Domain Registrar|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkbmam/notorious-website-kiwi-farms-loses-its-domain-registrar| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211001/https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkbmam/notorious-website-kiwi-farms-loses-its-domain-registrar| archive-date=2021-10-01|url-status=live|access-date=July 14, 2021|website=[[Vice (website)|Vice]]|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, it was moved to a new US-based domain registrar.<ref name="Insider-Colombo">{{Cite web|last=Colombo|first=Charlotte|date=August 3, 2021|title=Kiwi Farms, the forum that has been linked to 3 suicides, was made to troll Chris Chan years before she was arrested on an incest charge|url=https://www.insider.com/chris-chan-arrest-what-is-kiwifarms-the-forum-exposed-her-2021-8| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211001/https://www.insider.com/chris-chan-arrest-what-is-kiwifarms-the-forum-exposed-her-2021-8| archive-date=2021-10-01|url-status=live|access-date=August 4, 2021|website=[[Insider.com|Insider]]|language=en-US}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2021 [[Input (magazine)|Input]] stated that Kiwi Farms suffers from "near-constent" [[Denial-of-service attack|denial-of-service attacks]] which it states is often done in retaliation for the sites cyberbullying reputation.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Denkison|first=Katherine|title=Tracking Chris Chan started Kiwi Farms. Will her arrest be its end?|url=https://www.inputmag.com/culture/tracking-chris-chan-started-kiwi-farms-will-her-arrest-be-its-end|access-date=2022-01-14|website=Input|language=en}}</ref> == Controversies == === Suicides of harassment targets === Harassment campaigns by Kiwi Farms users are known to have contributed to the suicides of three individuals.<ref name="suicides" /> The Kiwi Farms community considers it a goal to drive its targets to suicide, and has celebrated such deaths with a counter on the website.{{r|Veale|p=55, 61}} They have used social media [[Moderation system|reporting systems]] to mass-report posts by harassment targets in which they've expressed suicidal thoughts or intentions, with the goal of reducing the possibility their targets receive help.{{r|Veale|p=91}} In 2013, American [[video game developer]] Chloe Sagal became a Kiwi Farms target after ''[[Eurogamer]]'' reported Sagal's [[Indiegogo]] [[crowdfunding]] campaign had been flagged for "suspicious activity". Sagal had raised over $30,000 on the platform for [[metal poisoning]] treatment to remove shrapnel from a car accident, but ''Eurogamer'' reported that Sagal had actually intended to use the proceeds for [[sex reassignment surgery]]. Sagal later died by suicide via [[self-immolation]] on June 19, 2018,<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last1=Katzowitz|first1=Josh|date=June 25, 2018|title=Transgender game developer who'd been bullied online dies by suicide|url=https://www.dailydot.com/irl/chloe-sagal-suicide-cyberbullying-harassment/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518001711/https://www.dailydot.com/irl/chloe-sagal-suicide-cyberbullying-harassment/|archive-date=May 18, 2019|access-date=May 18, 2019|website=The Daily Dot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Fogel|first1=Stefanie|date=June 26, 2018|title=Video Game Developer Dies After Setting Herself on Fire|url=https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/chloe-sagal-death-1202858068/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608224612/https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/chloe-sagal-death-1202858068/|archive-date=June 8, 2019|access-date=May 17, 2019|website=Variety}}</ref> which several reports attributed to years of harassment from Kiwi Farms.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Morgan|first=Joe|date=June 29, 2018|title=Bullied trans game developer dies after setting herself on fire|url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/bullied-trans-game-developer-dies-after-setting-herself-on-fire/|url-status=live|access-date=June 29, 2021|website=[[Gay Star News]]|language=en-GB|archive-date=November 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111091817/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/bullied-trans-game-developer-dies-after-setting-herself-on-fire/}}</ref> Julie Terryberry, a Canadian woman, died by suicide in 2016 following sustained harassment from Kiwi Farms users.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Wesolowski|first=Sébastien|date=May 27, 2020|title=Vaches à lol: dans l'Internet qui harcèle pour s'amuser|trans-title=Lolcows: Inside the Internet which harasses for fun|url=https://www.vice.com/fr/article/wxq55y/vaches-a-lol-dans-linternet-qui-harcele-pour-samuser| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211001/https://www.vice.com/fr/article/wxq55y/vaches-a-lol-dans-linternet-qui-harcele-pour-samuser| archive-date=2021-10-01|url-status=live|access-date=June 30, 2021|website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|language=fr}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Insider-Colombo" /> In a [[Twitter]] [[Conversation threading|thread]] posted on June 27, 2021<!-- see [[Special:Permalink/1036113628#Incorrect date]] -->, Near, a [[pseudonym]]ous Japan-based software developer, described lifelong bullying and harassment from Kiwi Farms users. Near said that Kiwi Farms had "made the harassment orders of magnitude worse".<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Near Suicide Kotaku">{{cite news|last1=Kotaku Staff|date=June 28, 2021|title=The Brilliant SNES Emulator Author Known As Near Has Died|work=Kotaku|url=https://kotaku.com/the-brilliant-snes-emulator-creator-known-as-near-has-d-1847182851|url-status=live|access-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627225413/https://kotaku.com/the-brilliant-snes-emulator-creator-known-as-near-has-d-1847182851|archive-date=27 June 2021}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Klepek|first=Patrick|date=2021-06-29|title=What I Learned From Near, an Emulation Legend and Real Person|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkbz4b/what-i-learned-from-near-an-emulation-legend-and-real-person|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629155531/https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkbz4b/what-i-learned-from-near-an-emulation-legend-and-real-person|archive-date=2021-06-29|access-date=2021-06-29|website=Vice News|language=en}}</ref> Near stated that they and their friends had been doxed and goaded into suicide by members of the website, and that Near had been mocked for being [[Autism|autistic]].<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Near Suicide Kotaku" /><ref name=":1" /> On June 28, [[Hector Martin (hacker)|Hector Martin]] posted a link to a [[Google Docs|Google document]] which he said came from a mutual friend of his and Near's, which said that Near had died by suicide, and alleged that the harassment from Kiwi Farms amounted to murder.<ref name="Near Suicide Kotaku" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name="Near Suicide PC Gamer">{{cite news|last1=Macgregor|first1=Jody|date=June 28, 2021|title=Near, creator of the higan and bsnes emulators, has died|work=[[PC Gamer]]|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/near-creator-of-the-higan-and-bsnes-emulators-has-died/|url-status=live|access-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630003143/https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/near-creator-of-the-higan-and-bsnes-emulators-has-died/|archive-date=30 June 2021}}</ref> Martin subsequently reported on June 28 that he had spoken to police who confirmed that Near had died the previous day.<ref name="Near Suicide Kotaku" /><ref name="Near Suicide PC Gamer" /> ''[[USA Today]]'' also reported on July 23, 2021 that they had confirmed with Near's former employer that they had died.<ref name=":4" /> Near had previously been known by the pseudonym "Byuu" and was most notable as the creator of [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] [[emulator]] [[Higan (emulator)|higan]],<ref name="Near Suicide PC Gamer" /> as well as for their detailed [[Fan translation of video games|fan translation]] of the SNES game ''[[Bahamut Lagoon]]'', which they worked on from 1997 to its release on February 9, 2021. Since the controversy Kiwi Farms has claimed that Near faked their death.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Klepek|first1=Patrick|date=March 8, 2021|title=A 23-Year Perfectionist Journey to Localize the Obscure 'Bahamut Lagoon'|work=Vice News|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvxezw/a-23-year-perfectionist-journey-to-localize-the-obscure-bahamut-lagoon|url-status=live|access-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627204252/https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvxezw/a-23-year-perfectionist-journey-to-localize-the-obscure-bahamut-lagoon|archive-date=27 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Moher|first1=Aidan|date=February 8, 2021|title=After 25 years, this cult SNES game finally gets a proper English translation|work=Input|url=https://www.inputmag.com/gaming/after-25-years-this-cult-snes-game-finally-gets-a-proper-english-translation|url-status=live|access-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628090123/https://www.inputmag.com/gaming/after-25-years-this-cult-snes-game-finally-gets-a-proper-english-translation|archive-date=28 June 2021}}</ref> === Christchurch mosque shootings === In March 2019, Kiwi Farms republished both the livestream and the manifesto of Brenton Tarrant, the perpetrator of the 2019 [[Christchurch mosque shootings]]. Shortly after, website owner Joshua Moon publicly denied a request by [[New Zealand Police]] to voluntarily hand over all data on posts relating to the shooting, including the email and [[IP address|IP addresses]] of posters.<ref name="bayer">{{cite web |last1=Bayer |first1=Kurt |title=Owner of notorious 8chan internet site in bid to deflect blame for role in Christchurch mosque terror attacks |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12220990 |website=[[New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=May 7, 2019 |archive-date=May 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504114633/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12220990 |url-status=live }}</ref> Moon responded aggressively and mockingly, calling New Zealand a "shithole country",<ref name="Newshub" /><ref name="bayer" /> and stated that he did not "give a single solitary fuck what section 50 of your faggot law says about sharing your email".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/website-kiwi-farms-refuses-to-surrender-data-linked-to-accused-christchurch-terrorist-brendan-tarrant/news-story/46d3c925ef84b24dde6194c42b3c2241 | title = Website Kiwi Farms refuses to surrender data linked to accused Christchurch terrorist Brendan Tarrant | first = Marnie | last = O'Neill | date = March 19, 2019 | access-date = March 19, 2019 | work = [[news.com.au]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190318231916/https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/website-kiwi-farms-refuses-to-surrender-data-linked-to-accused-christchurch-terrorist-brendan-tarrant/news-story/46d3c925ef84b24dde6194c42b3c2241 | archive-date = March 18, 2019 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Christchurch mosque shootings: Website Kiwi Farms refuses to surrender data linked to accused |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12214017 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=March 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190318195856/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12214017 |archive-date=March 18, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> He deemed the request a censorship attempt and argued that New Zealand authorities "do not have the legal reach to imprison everyone who's posted [the video]".<ref name="Newshub" /> Kiwi Farms was one of several websites blocked by New Zealand [[Internet service provider|internet service providers]] after the attack.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The online cesspits where hate found a home|url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-03-2019/the-online-cesspits-where-hate-found-a-home/|last=Rowe|first=Dan|date=March 19, 2019|work=[[The Spinoff]]|access-date=June 27, 2021|archive-date=January 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122200115/https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-03-2019/the-online-cesspits-where-hate-found-a-home/|url-status=live}}</ref> In New Zealand, those who were caught possessing or sharing images or videos of the attack faced charges that could result in 14-year prison sentences.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Onyanga-Omara|first=Jane|title=New Zealand mosque shootings: Six in court on charges they sent attack images|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/04/15/new-zealand-mosque-attacks-six-court-charges-over-images/3470478002/|access-date=2020-10-20|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021050932/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/04/15/new-zealand-mosque-attacks-six-court-charges-over-images/3470478002/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-04-15|title=Six Charged in New Zealand for Sharing Mosque Shooting Video Online|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-facebook-charges-822280/|access-date=2020-10-20|website=Rolling Stone|archive-date=2020-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022041347/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shooting-facebook-charges-822280/|url-status=live}}</ref> === ''My Immortal'' fan fiction authorship === {{Main|My Immortal (fan fiction)#2017: Rose Christo co-authorship claim}} In 2017, Tumblr user and [[young adult fiction]] writer Rose Christo claimed that she had authored the [[Harry Potter]] [[fan fiction]] "[[My Immortal (fan fiction)|My Immortal]]", which, Christo said, she had written it in order to find her missing brother. She announced that [[Macmillan Publishers]] was publishing a memoir, ''Under the Same Stars: The Search for My Brother and the True Story of My Immortal'', about the fan fiction's creation as well as her childhood of abuse and experiences as a Native American in the New York foster care system. A forum thread concerning Christo and discussing her claims was created on Kiwi Farms. Christo's brother, a Kiwi Farms user, responded to the thread to say that Christo's story was nearly entirely false. Claims that he took issue with included that of their Native American ancestry, their having gone to foster care, and her quest to locate him, which formed the center of the memoir.<ref name=":5">{{cite web|last1=Tremeer|first1=Eleanor|date=October 5, 2017|title=The Author Of 'My Immortal' Is A Fake And I Don't Know What To Believe Anymore|url=https://moviepilot.com/p/brother-of-my-immortal-author-casts-serious-doubt-on-her-claims/4383046|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005185457/https://moviepilot.com/p/brother-of-my-immortal-author-casts-serious-doubt-on-her-claims/4383046|archive-date=October 5, 2017|website=Movie Pilot}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-10-05|title=The 'My Immortal' mystery grows: Five new questions after the memoir's cancellation|url=https://www.hypable.com/my-immortal-and-5-unanswered-burning-questions/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628011500/https://www.hypable.com/my-immortal-and-5-unanswered-burning-questions/|archive-date=2021-06-28|access-date=2019-08-27|website=Hypable|language=en-US}}</ref> Christo then admitted that she had falsified documents supporting her story, but maintained that she had written ''My Immortal''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lee|first=Jarry|date=October 3, 2017|title=The "My Immortal" Book Is No Longer Going To Be Published|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/jarrylee/the-my-immortal-book-is-no-longer-going-to-be-published|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005052951/https://www.buzzfeed.com/jarrylee/the-my-immortal-book-is-no-longer-going-to-be-published|archive-date=October 5, 2017|access-date=October 5, 2017|publisher=[[Buzzfeed]]}}</ref> Macmillan Publishers cancelled the publication of her memoir.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Romano|first=Aja|date=2017-10-09|title=The My Immortal memoir has been canceled, and the mystery of the notorious fanfic deepens|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/10/9/16428248/my-immortal-still-a-mystery-rose-christo-fake|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827191551/https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/10/9/16428248/my-immortal-still-a-mystery-rose-christo-fake|archive-date=2019-08-27|access-date=2019-08-27|website=Vox}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lai|first=Catherine|date=2017-10-05|title=Memoir of "My Immortal" Author Canceled amid Accusations of Falsehoods|url=http://www.mugglenet.com/2017/10/memoir-immortal-author-canceled-amid-accusations-falsehoods/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827191551/http://www.mugglenet.com/2017/10/memoir-immortal-author-canceled-amid-accusations-falsehoods/|archive-date=2019-08-27|access-date=2019-08-27|website=MuggleNet|language=en-US}}</ref> == See also == *[[8chan]] == References == {{reflist|refs= <ref name="Veale">{{Cite book|last=Veale|first=Kevin|title=Gaming the Dynamics of Online Harassment|publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]|year=2020|isbn=978-3-030-60410-3|chapter=Gaming the Rules|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-60410-3_4}}</ref> }} == External links == *[http://kiwifarms.net Official website] [[Category:2010s in Internet culture]] [[Category:2020s in Internet culture]] [[Category:Alt-tech]] [[Category:American websites]] [[Category:Cyberbullying]] [[Category:Internet culture]] [[Category:Internet forums]] [[Category:Internet properties established in 2013]] [[Category:Internet trolling]]'