8chan is banned after El Paso shooting

New York: 8chan has been forced offline after Cloudflare said it would no longer protect the far-right web forum, according to BBC on Monday.

Also read: 8chan post shows El Paso shooter inspired by New Zealand mosque attacker

The move comes a day after it was revealed that the terrorist who gunned down 20 people at Walmart in El Paso, Texa had posted his extremist manifesto on 8chan.

The gunman said in his manifesto that he was inspired by Brenton Tarrant, a mass shooter who killed 51 Muslims at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand in March.

BBC reported that Cloudflare, a San Francisco-based firm that provides added security for websites to prevent cyber-attacks, said it would stop protecting 8chan at midnight Pacific Time (08:00 BST) on Monday.

Also read: 8chan, the darkest corner of Internet that knew Christchurch mosque shooter’s plan

What is 8chan and 4chan?

Unlike Facebook, Twitter and other popular social media sites, members of platforms like 8chan and 4chan engage in racism and hatred towards people of color and anyone who happens to disagree with their twisted views.

Founded in 2013 by Fredrick Brennan, 8chan is now owned by Jim Watkins, an American based in Philippines. The forum is banned appearing Google search results for violation of terms of use.