Company says it asked the site to remove content that incited violence before telling it to find another domain name registrar.
Last week, gun site and forum AR15 .com said it was “de-platformed” by GoDaddy. It claimed that GoDaddy didn’t tell it which content violated its terms, and informed it that the decision was final and it was given no way to appeal:
https://t.co/6hr3gqmHAg Backup Site Live, Switching to First Amendment Friendly Site Registrar – Statement Attached. https://t.co/qf75WwH7bZ 👈 pic.twitter.com/XuGFL9nReM
— AR15.COM (@AR15COM) January 12, 2021
GoDaddy released a statement explaining that it provided a specific warning to AR15 .com, and the site did not take action to address it:
Why did GoDaddy suspend services to AR15.com?
On January 8, we received a complaint regarding certain content on AR15.com. Per our policy, our team investigated the content in question and confirmed it violated our terms of service because it incited violence. On that same day, we notified AR15.com that they had 24 hours to remove the content, or their domain name would be suspended. AR15.com responded that the content had been removed, yet when we checked to confirm, the site showed the content still live. Accordingly, we suspended services on January 11.
Although we informed AR15.com they had 24 hours to take action, we actually provided them with 53 hours to remove the content. Again, because the content was not removed, we followed our terms of service and suspended services to AR15.com.
Does GoDaddy plan to take the same action with other gun sites?
GoDaddy supports a free and open Internet. We do not take action on complaints that would constitute censorship of content that represents the exercise of freedom of speech and expression on the Internet. In instances where a site goes beyond the mere exercise of these freedoms, however, and crosses over to promoting, encouraging, or otherwise engaging in violence, as was the case with AR15.com, we will take action.
This is the same rationale the company provided when it told DailyStormer to find a new registrar in 2017 after the violence in Charlottesville. GoDaddy took a lot of heat leading up to that point. It was a bit squishy in that case — it seemed that GoDaddy suggested the content on the site could lead to violence, even if it didn’t directly call for it.
AR15 .com moved its domain name to Epik.
Let us be real. Customers are flocking from GoDaddy, and the reports of heavy handed and highly politically-motivated actions are clear. There are reports all over the world of people being impacted by their decisions. Denial will not make our industry a better place.
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6223363588001
It is easy for them to try and deceive others. That is what they do.
I don’t agree with a lot of popular opinions, but I want to read and determine for myself. I’m not afraid of any ideas. Censorship has been here way before 1776 to now. Boo, you scared now?
USA is a free capitalist country, you don’t like it, go create you own company.
Don’t like the rules of the house, go build your own house.
Don’t like living in USA, go move to Russia or China
Nobody is forcing you to do what you don’t want to do, just follow the rules of the house.
Be a good citizen, get a job, pay the taxes, don’t lie, cheat or hurt anyone or destroy others’ properties except yours and as an added bonus, don’t drink or smoke and workout so not to be FAT.
Simple as that!!
What don’t you understand?
There are still billions of people still wanting to come to USA to make their lives here and follow the rules.
That is morally and spiritually bankrupt nonsense ideologue thinking. Obscene even.
“Don’t like it, go build your own…” Parler already did just that. But they became too successful too soon, so there was a concerted gang up to destroy it using a feasible “excuse.” Just like the sudden and abrupt gang up that occurred to stop that deplorable sellout Sanders when Biden was clearly all but done and Harris had long been utterly destroyed by Gabbard. Get the picture? I doubt you do.
Are you so foolish and naive that you buy the cover story and think it has nothing to do with competing political sentiments and ideology, agenda and bias?
These service provider companies are essentially utilities.
Do you think there is not all manor of crime, corruption, wickedness, violence, and even terrorism genuinely being planned and organized and promoted using Google, Facebook, Amazon, AT &T and other communication services and utilities all day, today, 24 hours a day somewhere? Even out in the open for the censors to squash if they want, but selectively not censored on YouTube? Think again.
Moreover, we do not live in a vacuum of neutrality and fair dealings. Companies tend to gain unfair and immoral advantages in society and at the expense of society, through the influence of money and such. That needs to be compensated for and addressed by sound regulation and legislation that protects society and competition.
Take Google, Amazon and Facebook again, for instance. It is common knowledge they are extremely “in bed with” government, some from the very beginning no less, and especially regarding censorship. Some even heavily involved with the CIA. And GoDaddy is known for its lobbying, is it not?
I know I can bet $1,000 and more that I just 100% wasted my time and strength even writing this to you personally, so make no mistake and don’t think I’m inclined to think or hope I didn’t. But this is for the general readers and anyone who has “ears to hear,” not just you.
And folks, do definitely read this:
“In A Corporatist System Of Government, Corporate Censorship Is State Censorship” – Caitlin Johnstone
https://caityjohnstone.medium.com/in-a-corporatist-system-of-government-corporate-censorship-is-state-censorship-eb8a8b486577
When you rent a house you have a lease. You have to follow the rules of that lease, like no pets. Landlord finds a dog, you get the boot. Buy your own home and you are the land lord.
Just host the site themselves, their servers,and their rules. Problem solved.
Yes but nobody can take your constitutional rights away and especially commit treason on behalf of communist China. Are you a communist? Yes or no? Are you a traitor? Yes or no. I’m a definite no on both.
All of these “businesses have the right to refuse service” type of claims are simply false and unbelievably outdated. Businesses haven’t had that right for decades.
We got rules, it’s called the constitution you loser. End all corporations and make every one responsible. Corporations aren’t people, anyone who thinks so is on crack.
Capitalism, Communism we have a constitution follow it knee grow,
You have to produce ID to buy spray paint at Dollar General now. This isn’t even the fault of 17 year olds, born in 2004. It’s the 30 year olds that caused this, and they can still get it.
So because they talk about guns, that means they incite violence….oh geeze. These leftist snowflakes who get butthurt about the stupidest things are too much! They have brought us cancel culture, but what really needs to be canceled is them.
Clearly, it was not just talking about guns.
How on earth do you know that, Andrew?
Are you just going to take GoDaddy’s word for it? It would appear to be so. Do you have some special insider access to what the alleged content was? Is it just me – am I just missing where the alleged offending content has been revealed to the public, aside from the question of whether it’s really even true there was any refusal or neglect to remove it?
Would much rather see for myself on both counts.
And PS: I have a reply to “Squarely” above that’s “awaiting moderation” now.
John, see the link in my post below.
Watching that video reminds me of the comments I made in the other article about John Sullivan.
I have also seen it on the range as well. Sometimes we get people we don’t want there. People do get asked to leave and NEVER come back. There are provocateurs especially for this stuff. With experience they are easy to spot.
One trick we use to get rid of them, without asking them to leave, relates to our lady shooters, Pair them up with a lady on a drill, and she shows them up. They leave in shame. A person without an agenda will respond with humility and ask her to help them improve, which is what we are all about.
There is a certain mindset that is not easy to fake, but they try. They are there for the wrong reasons and its easy to draw that out of them.
I will also point out, an AR15 moderated may have done just that, drew them out. I am just speculating here, but I know it happens.
Now that said, I also think there is more to the story. One of them being fear.
Its like Covid, nobody can just be sick anymore. If we cough or sneeze, people head to the doors thinking we have covid and will kill them. I had covid, and got over it, it was no big deal. I got it from my 90 year old neighbors who got it and also got over it. Now, espically with the Jan 6th event, that provocateur (or their group) can swing back and go after GoDaddy at least in the media and do some damage. But I’ve also run a range with 30 people on it, 10 are total strangers walking around with loaded guns and its my butt (and conscious) if someone gets hurt. So I see it from both sides.
So sadly I get why GoDaddy might want to distance themselves.
FEAR is the problem, and its growing.
As I digress:
People typically come to the range the first time in fear and think learning to use a gun will allow them to deal with what is causing that fear. We quickly show them the gun solves nothing, and they are creating their own fear usually by bad choices and decisions they are not aware of. The gun is not the solution, however training with it is powerful tool to reorient their thinking. They can quickly be made to realize THEY are creating their own fear, nobody else is, and there are very few problems a gun is useful for. The depth to which this often extends into their lives is profound, and predicatable.
I am convinced that is what gun control is truly all about. Taking away a very old method of self discovery and overcoming the barriers we place before ourselves …. Its a mindset issue, and every good trainer will tell you that from the start.
Its why gun people spends hours in the parking lot chatting after they spend an hour on the range. Lots of times those chats teach far more than the range time.
Well, because in the video the site owners claim to have taken care of it. So if it was just talk about guns, they wouldn’t have removed the content. I have no idea what happened behind the scenes, nor does my story suggest so. It simply says at AR15 .com says, and what GoDaddy says.
Right, I didn’t see the video till much later.
Was it though?
The way I see it there are two ways to this went down.
1) The content in question was something else, thr site owner addresses it. Godaddy said they weren’t satisfied and canceled services anyway because gasp….its a gun site full of them right wing nuts.
2) Rhe content in question was nothing of substance the site owners response was sarcastically yeah we took care of it (as in did nothing because the complaint was baseless). So Godaddy canceled them.
Either way you can’t dispute society as a whole loves to sensationalized and make a big deal about nothing. People get offended WAY Too easily over stupid stuff. And this woke culture is more than happy to censor everything.
A domain registrar shouldn’t be in the business of deactivating domains over content issues legitimate or not.
Freedom of speech is saying before our very eyes. And yes I know the first amendment fo thr US Constitution applies to the government not to private business. But nonetheless we are seeing an unprecedented coordinated attack against certain kinds of speech by private companies online. The internet should be an open place where one can speak what they want. Increasingly thr few gatekeepers are controlling content with a very political slant.
Its not just truly hateful and violent content anymore. More mainstream content that does not fit their political agenda. Pro gun, pro life, and other conservative positions like supporting a smaller less controlling government. And its 1000 times worse if you also happen to say something positive about Trump. I mean I think the guy knows how to push thr lefts buttons. And this is thr problem with censorship it starts off all well meaning, censoring truly hateful and vile stuff but it never stops there and continues to police ideas that are contrary to those of the few gatekeepers online.
“People get offended WAY Too easily over stupid stuff”
I agree man. I saw so many people posting about how they were no longer watching the NFL and NBA because players wanted to talk about black lives. Racists and right-wingers are like special snowflakes.
That’s a good way of putting it, Andrew – racists and right wingers are their own kind of “snowflake” too. It’s one dragon with two wings, a blue and a red, not one blue dragon and one red puppy dog.
And the right wing football kneeling outrage nonsense was exactly that – right wing snowflakery. Contrary to the red flavored BS about that, the anti-kneeling nonsense is what is truly as un-American, anti-American, unpatriotic and anti-free speech as it gets.
PS: And lest you get the wrong idea, there’s tons and tons of racism with the pseudo left blue wing too, especially including those who would “virtue signal” and even build whole campaigns and policies purporting the opposite.
>the anti-kneeling nonsense
>unpatriotic and anti-free
>speech as it gets.
Carrot versus stick.
Walking away from something I disagree with is the model of patriotism and free speech. So to is encouraging you to fight for what you believe in especially if I do not agree.
Its when we move from carrot to stick that we have “unpatriotic and anti-free
speech” examples. That is, the moment I impose my view onto you we have crossed a line. The moment I demand you meet my “expectations”.
If a registrar imposes terms of service and they are broken, then there is no issue as we both agreed on the way into the contract.
If the content is deleted within the stated period, and GoDaddy goes dark, then it would seem the terms of service are not what is at play. It would seem then that GoDaddy is trying to impose its will versus its terms of service ….
“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”
– Bruce Lee
Not even sure what you are really saying about the first part, and I don’t care to debate that particular topic here, but where you address what GoDaddy actually did your statement seems to be consistent with my point #3 below where I wrote “I suspect GoDaddy simply did what it wanted to do regardless of the other side not only complying, but having already taken care of the issue…”
>And this is thr problem with censorship
> it starts off all well meaning, censoring
>truly hateful and vile stuff but it never
>stops there
Am I my brothers keeper?
Does the content itself truly make things worse, or does pointing to it and giving it undeserved face time nurture division? (rhetorical)
Personal responsibility, versus asking government to treat us like children. Anytime we ask the gov to help us we are saying we are incapable of doing it ourselves.
We are saying “I can’t reject this content on my own, you need to do it for me ….”
There has not been a TV in my house since 2007 …
>Racists and right-wingers are
>like special snowflakes.
We bring power to that which we give attention to.
Nothing kills a relationship faster than APATHY.
Conflict feeds EGO.
https://www.ar15.com/forums/
Total posts: 126,684,773
Total members: 536,311
Most ever online: 23,285
Total online now: 6,375
Time index 01:10 for a slightly different story from AR15.COM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuImihrHAcE
Thanks for posting that, just watched some of it. Very interesting.
This is my question:
With a forum that huge how to you NOT have issues! lol!
They need complements for being able to successfully herd that many cats for so many years!
“This is my question:
With a forum that huge how to you NOT have issues!”
Yes of course, exactly so. It’s BS. Like when Claude Rains spoke his famous line “I’m shocked, shocked…”
I have a separate comment “awaiting moderation” again in which I address what I suspect the real truth is.
Meanwhile, no doubt countless people using the services of Google, Facebook, Amazon, AT & T, and even GoDaddy itself are continually engaging in evil and criminal plans, expressions, intentions and enterprises with impunity and selective “enforcement” and the like, even now…
Seems like Epik is quickly becoming the redneck preferred registrar, won’t shock me if we see all crypto domains flocking there shortly also specially the more questionable crypto brands with privacy coins. This is truly a sad time in humanities history, and I complete blame social media for the sense of self privilege it’s given to groups of extremes in all societies and countries todo what they want under guise of free speech, expression, act or other laws.
It is my hope that some, hopefully many, become registrars and sponsor their own domain names. For a single domain name the cost is under $5000 per year.
Given the business disruption, this cost is easily justified by a large organization.
“Redneck” ay? Well Ali, I’m anything but a “redneck” or from “redneck” country, and I’m thinking Epik is more like the best registrar to begin with on its own; much better and more desirable to use than GoDaddy; and a handful of other registrars are also much better and more desirable to use than GoDaddy; and Epik is a highly preferable and highly recommended beacon of free speech, principles and due process – not for “rednecks” but for ANY thinking person.
And if you see my comments you’ll see that I personally like to condemn the evils of both the pseudo “left” and the “right,” so your theory there is in a bit of trouble. But I’m real big on free speech and the principles and rights this country was founded upon but which are always under siege.
Mate you’ve gone on some comment rampage here clearly seem passionate about Epik, think Andrew has opened some crazy can of worm with his news post with republicans coming in force to defend Epik, Trump and freedom of racism online! Not the usual professional DNW comments I see here! Anyways I’m sure Epik is glad they have their loyal fan base much like Trump loves his fan base.
Nice try, Ali. (Not.)
> Passionate about the truth, principles, issues and morality involved.
> I’m confident I could bet a whole lot of money even the folks at Epik would say that it’s about those things too and not at all about Epik. And see what I said elsewhere about gambling not being intrinsically evil or even a vice as some like to say, (though I digress), so I would gladly do just that. 😉
> Not a Republican. Not even close. Not a Democrat, either. Also not a “Trump supporter” by any means. Third strike – go back to square one and try again.
> “Defend Epik”: are you delusional? Don’t you mean “defend GoDaddy”? Most sane and rational people would apprehend that GoDaddy is the party which has now done things requiring defending, hence the whole reason for the very subject of this blog post about how “GoDaddy explains…,” while Epik has both not done anything bad and has actually done something good.
> “Defend Trump”: seriously – are you delusional? Despite what you are trying to convey, you obviously have not really seen all of my “rampage” of comments as you put it. At least you haven’t “seen” any that actually exist, or seen the ones which do exist which would prevent you from inferring such a thing if you were rational and well.
> “Defend ‘freedom of racism'”: seriously – could I not safely bet a great deal of money that you are delusional? In fact, take a little trip up the screen now and see what I just wrote to Andrew himself in reply on the very topic of racists and racism. Go ahead, give it a try.
Well Ali, that’s quite an epic fail there on your part.
I’m from Detroit, I’m no red neck dawg. You feel me bro. You use racist language about whites because you afraid knee grows will kick your a__, punk.
Andrew I think you need to moderate comments a little!
Yeah, well, the Parler and AR15 threads are a bit out of control. As long as the comments are only on those posts it’s OK.
Got two “awaiting moderation” now, Andrew…
I just watched the first 7 minutes of this video giving AR15.com’s side of the story which Charles posted above, and I highly recommend everyone else with an interest in this topic and the issues involved do as well.
It’s not about me, and nothing is about me, but here’s a little about me: I’m an inveterate “truth seeker.” Always evaluating everything, no matter who it is or where it’s from. I’m even a former fed during a brief chapter of my life years ago and one for which I am thankful, a federal officer of Uncle Sam himself, trained and conditioned to ascertain and question bull***t. How many domain blog commenters can say that, ay? 😉
So here are my thoughts on the first 7 minutes of that video:
1. I suspect GoDaddy is lying, full of s**t, slinging bull***t.
2. I suspect those guys with AR15.com are not lying but are telling the truth.
3. I suspect GoDaddy simply did what it wanted to do regardless of the other side not only complying, but having already taken care of the issue with their own moderators as they indicated. I suspect GoDaddy feels perfectly entitled to do what they did as well because of the kind of “unconscionable” and “unreasonable” antisocial clauses they and others tend to put in their documents which essentially say things like “notwithstanding the above, we can do anything and everything we ever want, no matter what it is, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
4. Right now I doubt very much the above is not the accurate truth regarding each side of the story.
5. Side note: seem like a bunch of intelligent, interesting, thoughtful, even slightly “geeky” or “nerdy” guys insofar as that’s possible with such subject matter – anything but “redneck.” Rather glad I even discovered this site because of this matter.
6. I’m always open minded to any possible provable and *true* revision, but I most definitely won’t be holding my breath, and would even be willing to bet money on the above. And since gambling is neither *intrinsically* “sinful” or even a “vice,” if there was a current events related online gambling venue covering such a topic I could even do just that. 😉
Watch the first minutes of the video and decide for yourself, folks.
What I posted earlier but far fewer words:
1) Provocateur posts something REALLY bad
2) Provocateur sends complaint to GoDaddy claiming to be someone other than the poster
3) GoDaddy sees it, sends notice
4) AR15 Mods see it, delete it, likely some users spot it and flags it
5) AR15 management checks into it, gone, notifies GoDaddy
6) GoDaddy at this point, shocked by what they saw, goes dark, potential liability too great. Name needs to go. Profits on the reg fee where gone when email in step (2) was read.
7) AR15 moved to Epik
To be repeated elsewhere by many provocateurs.
AKA Asymetric warfare, a single post and email causes a lot of grief and costs for AR15 and GoDaddy.
Note the people who showed up at the capitals today. Note who stayed home to support the discovery of the identity of those who did show up …. People are catching on ….
Sorry – Not saying that is what happens, saying that is my guess what happened espically with what we are seeing now in other areas of society.
Indeed, the possibility of good old fashioned chicanery. Otherwise known as:
Treachery – one of my personal favorites, not many use that potent and evocative word.
Or:
A setup – probably the most popular and commonly used term for it.
Would not surprise me one bit if anything like that occurred or will occur, and I had considered a possibility like that too. I think it’s a no-brainer all kinds of characters are going to be at a site like that.
Which leaves me with growing respect for Rob.
His sponsorship of the domain removes incentive to play this game, at least at this level.
The more GoDaddy kicks domains out, the more they make their customers a target of this. Perhaps even going beyond organized intent and being lowered to the level of “sport”. Its not a good feedback loop for them or their customers ….
If people see a domain at Epik then move on to more low hanging fruit to attack, like at GoDaddy.
This is back to what I said about consolidation being so bad for us. The more smaller registrars we have, and their owners being the ones that answer the phone, the more protected registrants will be in many ways. Ultimately, if people are the owner and the registrant, protection is maximized. At that point everything falls back to the ICANN and registry contract.
Always good your rare Sunday posts!!!
You have taken another step to censorship. Shame on you. This is communism.
Actually this is censorship light compared to Bush and Cheney sending anthrax to news paper in Boca Raton. Not to fail to mention sending anthrax to Ex Sen. Tom Dashel in the Senate office building. Now that’s treason and terrorism all at once.
Consistent with the concerns that there may be more to this than terms of service, here is something to consider (via Zerohedge):
https://about.fb.com/news/2021/01/preparing-for-inauguration-day/?ref=fb4b_home
“But we will now also prohibit ads for accessories such as gun safes, […]”
Someone please explain why gun safes are a concern regarding inauguration day. This is how the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives describes them:
https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/what-qualifies-secure-gun-storage-or-safety-device
“What qualifies as a secure gun storage or safety device?”
“3. A safe, gun safe,[…]”
I should add something else.
AR15.COM is owned by Brownells:
https://www.brownells.com
To sell …. Firearms accessories and related sporting items.
Its their unique way to market their products independent of others. So what affects AR15.COM affects Brownells who has been in business since 1939.
If you want a domain name registrar known for its security then look no further then Safenames, we don’t discriminate any industry and we provide a better service all round compared with godaddy, you can’t even get them on the phone. with that being said if anyone wants to register domain names in the future give me a call or an email contact details below! Firearm Industry Friendly.
Aaron Foll
Safenames Ltd
+44 1908 200022 my extension is 239 or just ask for my name with who ever you get through to.
Informative article
As the demand for websites with this TLD increases, so does the need for reliable and secure hosting providers to support them. A “.vote hosting provider” is a company that provides hosting services for websites with a “.vote” domain.
https://www.dotvote.vote/