Why Blocking Hate Sites Like 8chan May Only Make Them Stronger

Like the gunman who killed 50 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques in March, the man who killed one person in a Poway, Calif., synagogue on April 27 announced his intentions on 8chan, an anonymous online message board with a reputation for violent extremism. In the wake of these and other murders, calls to shutter such sites have only grown louder.

Several Australian ISPs blocked 8chan right after the Christchurch, New Zealand, attack.

Like the gunman who killed 50 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques in March, the man who killed one person in a Poway, Calif., synagogue on April 27 announced his intentions on 8chan, an anonymous online message board with a reputation for violent extremism. In the wake of these and other murders, calls to shutter such sites have only grown louder. Several Australian ISPs blocked 8chan right after the Christchurch, New Zealand, attack.