(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — According to statements published this afternoon, the free blog hosting site Blogetery, which sparked some debate this week when it was shut down by its hosting provider BurstNet, was taken offline because of bomb-making instructions and a list of targets posted on the service.
The site’s operator posted on WebHosting Talk last week, criticizing his hosting provider BurstNet for taking his server offline and offering only a vague explanation of “abuse” and an unspecified request from an unnamed law enforcement agency.
The incident sparked some speculation, in the WHT thread, and in several online news sources, as to the nature of the request and the identity of the law enforcement agency.
Monday afternoon, BurstNet released a statement saying it took the service offline after receiving a critical notice from law enforcement requesting information on the ownership of the Blogetery server.
“It was revealed that a link to terrorist material, including bomb-making instructions and an al-Qaeda ‘hit list,’ had been posted to the site.”
According to the company, the site posed an immediate threat of incitement to dangerous activities, and constituted a specific violation of its acceptable use policy, which prohibits the posting of “terrorist propaganda, racist material or bomb/weapon instructions.”
“Due to this violation and the fact that the site had a history of previous abuse, BurstNET® elected to immediately disable the system,” says the statement.
Among the most notable details in the statement is the fact that the company made a choice to take the service offline. It had previously been widely assumed that the site was taken down in response to a direct request from the law enforcement agency.
While published opinions about BurstNet’s handling of the incident seem somewhat divided – including some alarmed questions of free speech and innocent blogs potentially being taken down to silence a single threat – there has been plenty of support from the hosting community (particularly on WebHosting Talk) of the company’s decision. And the further details released this afternoon may have garnered more support.
In a post made Monday afternoon, popular blogger Chris Pirillo wrote, “This has nothing to do with Freedom of Speech rights being violated. This appears (the way it’s being reported at this point in time) to be a case of threat of harm to American citizens and land. I have to agree that in a situation like this one, the hosting company did the best possible thing in shutting the entire service down until such time as it can again be deemed to be safe.”
About Liam Eagle
Liam Eagle has worked as a contributor to the Web Host Industry Review since its inception in 2000, and as editor since 2003. He has been editor of the WHIR's print magazine since its launch. His daily involvement in the gathering and reporting of Web hosting news and his regular interaction with Web hosting leaders gives him an uncommonly broad appreciation of the issues and tends facing the business. Through his WHIR blog, Liam spots Web hosting trends and offers opinions on the industry-wide impacts of major developments and the motivation behind big announcements. Follow him on Twitter @liameagle
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