The Eternal Debate: Will 4chan Be Abolished?

To your dismay, it may never happen. Here’s why: 4chan isn’t a person; the site itself is not the problem. It is the users who keep being absolute animals, breaching privacy and sending unspeakable content. Even if the site were to be shut down, users would undoubtedly find another platform where they can congregate.

So, to answer your question: No, 4chan can’t be shut down. If that were the case, most, if not all, platforms online would have to go 'POOF.' To sum it up: Hate the player, not the game.

Why Does It Need to Be Abolished? Should It Be?

Years ago, the owner of 4chan tried to censure it and failed. The community moved to other sites, such as 8chan, 2chan, 420chan, and Wizard Chan. Eventually, 8chan became a far more radical site than 4chan. Closing it will lead to the same problems. It may be best to keep 4chan open and monitored, as the main site does not allow things like pedophilia and open incitement of violence.

The first response often portrays 4chan as the center of all evil in the world. However, just as with Reddit, Facebook, and YouTube, bad things do come out of 4chan. Positive things do as well. It is an open forum with a dedicated community ranging from your average Joe to the angry basement dweller and everything in between. Even if you destroy the main site of 4chan, 4Chon (the proposed name for if things go south) would be erected in its place.

Regarding concerns about content like child pornography (CP) on 4chan, the moderators are very strict in this area. 4chan is on the dark web via Tor, making it an unwise place for any anonymous individual to advertise or look at CP, as the mods have notified authorities about this issue before. The 4chan population is generally very aggressive and militant against CP makers/enthusiasts, and pedophiles often dox known individuals.

Conclusion

4chan as a site can be removed, but the community cannot. I can name at least 20 active chans that could take in the refugees and they can be very vindictive towards their enemies. Decisions to restrict such platforms hinge not just on the potential for harm, but also on the importance of monitoring and containing the community to prevent broader online damage.