❓ What Happened?
On 15 April 2025, 4chan—a well-known anonymous message board—suddenly went down. Many users couldn’t access the site, and rumors began spreading online that it had been hacked.
🤔 What’s the Deal?
Posts on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) claim a hacker may have stolen private emails and chat logs from 4chan staff and volunteer moderators (called “janitors”). If true, this could reveal how the site is run and might put some staff members at risk.
👀 Why It Matters
4chan has a long history of controversial content. It started in 2003 as an anime forum, but is now known for hosting far-right and offensive posts—especially on its politics board, /pol/.
It was heavily involved in the 2014 Gamergate controversy and has been linked to serious issues like the leaking of celebrity photos and the creation of 8chan (a site later tied to mass shootings).
🛑 What’s Next?
- The site is still down as of now.
- The owner, Hiroyuki Nishimura, hasn’t commented yet.
- It’s unclear if this is really a cyberattack or just server problems.
- If the hack is confirmed, it could expose private conversations and weak points in how 4chan is moderated.
Stay tuned as more details come out.
