Kiwi Farms

[[File:Kiwi Farms Logo.png|thumb|right|165px|The bird sheds a massive, disemboweling tear (pun intended).]]
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{{cquote|I bet the [[police]] and [[FBI]] love [[#Joshua Conner Moon|Josh]].<br />
Nothing makes law enforcement happier than websites that distribute how-to guides on making convincing [[Terrorism|terror threats]] (with handy email services for sending the threats), as well as detailed stories about [[child sexual abuse]] [[murder]]. Bonus! Now their members actually kill children (after chatting with Josh)!|20px|20px|Paul McGoff<ref>http://archive.ph/mtujK#selection-581.0-605.298</ref>}}

{{cquote|When you put something stupid/embarrassing/whatever on the internet, it's on the internet forever. After you put it out there, it becomes ours. We own it. And if we feel like digging it up and laughing at it, we will. And if you decide to chimp out over that, we will love you for it with all our hearts, and you too will become ours. And when something is ours, it's ours forever. We might get bored with it and put it down. We might play with it a little too hard and break it. But it never stops being ours, and someday in the future we'll remember it, and pick it back up again.<br />Would you like to become ours, my dear?|20px|20px|Kiwi Farms user Dynastia<ref>[https://archive.ph/f5HxI Wrong Planet, page 7]. Archived from kiwifarms.net, 1 October 2021.</ref>}}

'''Kiwi Farms''' is an immensely creepy stalking forum run by manchild Joshua Conner Moon [[Argumentum_ad_cellarium|out of his]] [[Hypocrisy|mom's house]].<ref name="medium-translifeline">[https://medium.com/@Translifeline/debunking-dispelling-myths-a-response-to-a-recent-tumblr-article-51ba607a4619 Debunking Misinformation, a response to a recent Tumblr article]</ref> The people who are stalked are what are known as "[[lolcow|lolcows]]" to the site's userbase or "exceptional individuals".{{efn|Moon is in fact the owner or co-owner of Lolcow LLC in [[Florida]].<ref>[https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/website-kiwi-farms-refuses-to-surrender-data-linked-to-accused-christchurch-terrorist-brendan-tarrant/news-story/46d3c925ef84b24dde6194c42b3c2241 Website Kiwi Farms refuses to surrender data linked to accused Christchurch terrorist Brendan Tarrant: A notorious web forum has refused requests to surrender data from posts about the accused NZ terrorist, instead unleashing a profane rant.] by Marnie O’Neill (March 19, 201911:00am) ''News.com.au''.</ref>}} Think some of the Internet's worst [[Fun:Asshole|assholes]] and coalition of criminals<ref group="note">[https://twitter.com/GossiTheDog/status/1566747559779078145 We used Josh's own words, of course.] [https://web.archive.org/web/20220905193453/https://twitter.com/GossiTheDog/status/1566747559779078145 (archive)] ([https://t.me/kiwifarms/23 original link])</ref> projecting their frustration onto minorities – and now that you're picturing [[GamerGate]], think creepier.

Due to difficulties with enforcing anti-harmful speech legislation on the internet, there hasn't been much legal action taken on Kiwi Farms, despite them being responsible for harming many people (directly and indirectly), costing them jobs and partners, exaggerating and spinning rumors, or even mentally abusing their victims to the point of [[suicide]]. In fact, the owners maintain that there is nothing illegal about the site, citing technicalities (''we'' don't harass people; our users do!) and [[Whataboutism|phonebooks also distributing personal information]] (because sharing the address of this person we find weird is totally the same as a printed {{wpl|4-1-1|411|!);}}<ref>https://archive.ph/RoJky</ref> or just simply denying, downplaying, or justifying the activities that have taken place. No services are buying their lies, however, as KiwiFarms is struggling to find any web service company willing to do business with them ranging from PayPal to [[Cloudflare]] (which famously dropped the site in September of 2022, rendering it briefly offline altogether) to even Russia-based DDOS-Guard. Not even [[8chan]] wants anything to do with the site owner. 

In May 2023, Kiwi Farms was only accessible through the [[Tor]] network and a [[spam]]-filled {{wpl|Telegram (software)|Telegram}} chatroom.<ref name="kiwitelegram">[https://archive.ph/nBide Kiwifarms Telegram feed,] converted to RSS via "Telegram to RSS or JSON service" (https://tg.i-c-a.su/), archived on 23 May 2023</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230524010655/https://twitter.com/DropKiwifarms/status/1661009359672066053 "If you missed it - kiwifarms had been knocked off the clearnet for weeks now, and it looks like it'll be more weeks before Josh can even try to get it online. It also sounds like plenty of his previous users are just finding new homes + his telegram chat is slowly draining users."], @DropKiwiFarms, Twitter, 2023 May 23, archived on 2023 May 24</ref> As of January 2024, Kiwi Farms is accessible through kiwifarms.hk.<ref>[https://archive.ph/0Qpmm kiwifarms.st]. Archived on 25 September 2023</ref> Every snapshot of the site in its original state has been scrubbed from the [[Internet Archive]], perhaps in hopes that future generations might not be mentally scarred by the content or even know of the site's existence, but snapshots from later versions have, unfortunately, been added.

==Ableism, transphobia, and general shittiness==
{{cquote|Consider that across the forums there are multiple warnings to members to conceal their identity. For KFers, anonymity isn't a choice but a necessity — they know what they're doing is probably illegal, and that their anonymity insulates them from any consequences. They know their "entertainment" harms vulnerable people, which is why some of them felt bad when that one target hanged herself. But, most important, they know that if their anonymity were compromised, their own community might eat them alive.|||Margaret Pless, writing for ''New York Magazine'' about the questionable legality of the site users' actions<ref name="New York Magazine"/>}}

Critics of Kiwi Farms point out that the "[[Lolcow|Lolcows]]" who end up on the website are digitally stalked, harassed (by having rumors and smears posted about them), and [[doxxing|doxed]] (including full names, birthdays, workplaces, personal [[social media]] accounts, and even street addresses and phone numbers). They'll often dox family members, dig deep for social media accounts, and on rare occasions their targets' Social Security numbers.<ref name="TikuSep23">Nitasha Tiku (September 3, 2023). [http://archive.today/2023.10.14-045927/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/09/03/kiwifarms-website-offline/ "The endless battle to banish the world’s most notorious stalker website"]. ''The Washington Post'', via archive.today.</ref><ref>Null (March 4, 2023). [http://archive.today/2023.03.04-164513/https://kiwifarms.net/threads/should-kiwifarms-allow-doxes-of-financial-info.154234/page-2 RE: "Should Kiwifarms allow doxes of financial info?"]. ''Kiwi Farms'', via archive.today. {{quotebox|There are some instances where humiliation fetishes intentionally hold up government id (including ssn cards) … If he did the same with credit cards, I'd also probably permit that. I don't know how I'm expected to say 'oh you're posting ridiculous stuff online but because a plastic card with numbers on it is featured, I won't permit that to be published'. … So in short, numbers are the same as names and addresses and photos. If you're so sloppy with your personal information that you're leaking FIN, I can't bottle that for you even if I tried. I can only discourage people from doing anything illegal and ban people who do.}}</ref> Hell, even people who are ideologically aligned to them like Mister Metokur get doxed.<ref>[https://archive.ph/DG1nW ''Mister Metokur Dox''] ''Kiwi Farms'' (archived from February 10, 2019).</ref>

{{Anchor|Chris-Chan}}The forum was originally dedicated to {{wpl|stalking|monitoring}} the activities of a controversial individual called Christine Weston Chandler, commonly known as "Chris-Chan" (1982 - present). She is a mentally ill, [[autistic]] [[trans woman]]{{efn|It is hotly debated among Chris-Chan enthusiasts whether she uses she/her pronouns as a genuine reflection of gender identity or simply appears female-presenting just to be able to get a lesbian girlfriend due to her historical lack of success with straight women.}} originally from [[Virginia]] disregarded by society, whose history of parental abuse and neglect, as well as general lack of a filter, has led her to become one of the most heavily-documented figures online, if not in all human history. They even made a Wiki about her entire life and immediate family, a rabbit hole we strongly recommend you do not dare to venture down. Her most notable creation is "Sonichu", a crossover between {{wpl|Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|Sonic the Hedgehog}} and [[Pokémon|Pikachu]].<ref>[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sonichu Her plagiarism-filled fan web comic even has as an entry on Know Your Meme.]</ref> The site originally had a hidden subforum that was dedicated to harassing her, eventually driving her insane and causing her to lose touch with reality due to various "ideas" planted in her head by different factions of trolls.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/archive/5XSyJ   Closure of the CWCki Forum's Private Discussion Board]. Archived from kiwifarms.st, 7 March 2024.</ref>  In August of 2021, she was arrested for [[incest|having sex with her mother]] using evidence that had been posted on Kiwi Farms,<ref>[https://www.insider.com/chris-chan-saga-timeline-incest-charges-arrest-2021-8 A timeline of Chris Chan's incest charge, which comes after years of online trolling that documented the creator's relationship with her mother]. (6 August 2021). Insider.com.</ref> but was released by court order in March of 2023 after a year and a half of being bounced back and forth between prison and a mental institution.<ref>[https://www.insider.com/chris-chan-incest-charge-released-from-custody-by-court-order-2023-3 Chris Chan, an internet personality and common troll target who was charged with incest, has reportedly been released from custody]. (28 March 2023). Insider.com.</ref> In August of 2023, a judge dismissed the incest/rape charges based on a motion filed by her attorneys for an "autism disorder deferred disposition".<ref>https://www.businessinsider.com/chris-chan-saga-timeline-incest-charges-arrest-2021-8#charges-against-chris-chan-are-dropped-and-a-judge-dismisses-the-criminal-case-9</ref> Objectively, the Tragedy of Chris-Chan should be viewed not only as an in-depth case study about the psychology of trolls and their victims but also a broader cautionary tale to parents and general Internet denizens everywhere.

Many "Lolcows" on the forum are (or in most cases, are simply accused of being) [[autistic]], and Kiwi Farms derogatorily labels these people as "[[Asperger's syndrome|spergs]]" (after [[Asperger's syndrome]]). [[Transgender]] "[[lolcow|Lolcows]]" are described as the pejorative "troons" or "trannies", often end up in the "Rat Kings" or "Stinkditch" categories, and are often portrayed as either faking their dysphoria or being mentally unstable.<ref>[http://archive.ph/5X6f9 Sign up]. (17 Feb 2017). Archive.ph</ref> Most "cows" are described as what are known as "exceptional individuals", coined after a post filter was installed to replace the word "[[retard|retards]]". On its now-banned Twitter account, Kiwi Farms described its purpose as "gossip and exploitation of the mentally handicapped for amusement purposes".<ref>[https://archive.ph/jYp5p Kiwi Farms Twitter account]. (23 Jan 2016). Archive.ph.</ref> Furthermore, the sign-up page for the site once came with a disclaimer saying "autistics will be laughed at. Trannies will be misgendered. People will try to find where you live."<ref>http://archive.ph/pytWM</ref> Due to its offensive content, Kiwi Farms is arguably a [[hate speech]] website. 

Kiwi Farms' harassment goes beyond gender and neurological minorities. They target [[asexuality|asexual]] people, despite them not being the most common target of abuse, having a thread on AVEN. The site's members will also target people with medical blogs (primarily women) by accusing them of exaggerating or even faking their illnesses. They target beauty gurus, artists, and cosplayers, and regularly engage in [[Obesity|fat]] [[shaming]] and [[Looksism|looks discrimination]]. There is rarely a thread that doesn't contain someone posting slurs.

Posters tend to [[conservative|lean right]] politically. Many posters are [[far-right]], and some are involved with [[4chan]] and [[Encyclopædia Dramatica]]. They also tend to be [[White supremacy|white]] [[Men's rights movement|males]] in their 20's and 30's, and much like their dear leader, they're also [[antisemitism|antisemitic]].<ref>[https://archive.today/TLwf2 ''CW: Anti Semitism'']</ref> Despite the site's rampant [[transphobia]], a sizable minority of its users are trans people who love to point out how any trans person they don't like [[no true Scotsman|isn't really trans]]. On the other end, the site is also popular with [[trans-exclusionary radical feminism|TERFs]] as a means of receiving personal information on their targets. Much the same, there's a minority of people on the site who are [[Tankies]] or [[National Bolshevism|Nazbols]].

According to Alexa, Kiwi Farms receives over a million monthly sessions.<ref>http://www.rank2traffic.com/kiwifarms.net</ref>

Kiwi Farms was temporarily shut down on January 24, 2017 [[Irony|due to the owner's family getting harassed]].<ref name=hicks/> It was reopened three weeks later under the same management without fanfare, leading many to assume it was still down.

On August 5, 2022, a trans [[YouTube]]r named Keffals was swatted, and when she tried to take refuge in a hotel, she was soon doxed by users on Kiwi Farms who were able to cross-reference a picture of the hotel's bedding with other hotels in the region. She was doxxed yet again after fleeing to the US by a member hacking into her Uber account. Sometime later, [[Marjorie Taylor Greene]] of all people was swatted by someone claiming to be from Kiwi Farms, and now even she wants the website shut down (but not without scapegoating Democrats in the process, blaming the situation on the perceived lawlessness the Dems want in the country).<ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/kiwi-farms-trans-activists-mtg-swatting-trolling-website-offline-2022-8 How 'swatting' site Kiwi Farms has created a bizarre alliance between MAGA's Marjorie Taylor Greene and transgender activists], Joshua Zitser, ''Insider'' 25 August 2022</ref> While having been subject to intense public pressure especially after these events, Cloudflare felt the escalating violent threats in the site were too much for it to stomach (despite dawdling for years to do anything) and pulled the plug for support in September 2022.<ref>Prince, M. (September 3, 2022). "[https://blog.cloudflare.com/kiwifarms-blocked/ Blocking Kiwifarms]". ''The Cloudflare Blog''. Accessed Setpember 3, 2022.</ref> KiwiFarms then tried to turn to Russian-based DDOS-Guard, but that too wasn't willing to provide for such an intensely toxic asset, so it also terminated its services, in surprisingly much snappier time than CloudFlare.<ref>DDoSGuard. (September 5, 2022). [https://t.me/ddos_guard/152]. ''Telegram''. Accessed September 5.</ref> Shortly after, they sought refuge with [[VanwaTech]], a web hosting company known for willingly accepting far-right and extremist [[webshite]] content. VanwaTech founder Nicholas Lim defiantly stated, "[[bullshit|We maintain a firm commitment to our role as a neutral provider of internet services and not an internet censor]]."<ref>[https://www.dailydot.com/debug/kiwi-farms-back-online-vanwatech/ "Kiwi Farms gets back online thanks to the same service that's kept 8kun alive"] ''The Daily Dot''. Retrieved 7 September 2022.</ref>

In mid September 2022, Kiwi Farms was [[Fun:Pwned|PWNED]] by hackers, with Moon posting a warning that emails may be leaked and passwords compromised.<ref>[https://www.dailydot.com/debug/kiwi-farms-hacked-owner-expect-data-leak/ "‘Well f*ck’: Kiwi Farms users freak after owner says site hacked, emails may leak"] by Claire Goforth, Daily Dot, 2022 September 19</ref> Since the Keffals incident, Kiwi Farms was repeatedly kicked off various hosts,<ref name="onionfarmdown">[https://web.archive.org/web/20221229192617/https://www.onionfarms.com/threads/kiwifarms-down-a-lot.3344/ "Kiwifarms Down a Lot",] topic, OnionFarms.Com, archived 2022 December 29</ref> suffered multiple DDOS attacks and ISP blacklistings,<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Major-incidents-disrupting-KIWI-FARMS-from-September-to-December-2022-Green-stars_fig1_370058631 Figure: Major incidents disrupting KIWI FARMS from September to December 2022. Green stars indicate the forum recovery,] Vu, Viet Anh & Hutchings, Alice & Anderson, Ross. (2023). No Easy Way Out: The Effectiveness of Deplatforming an Extremist Forum to Suppress Hate and Harassment.</ref> and had their SSL certificate revoked.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230516153256/https://twitter.com/DropKiwifarms/status/1658456105821913088 "Guess I beat Josh to the announcement for that one :) Here's his statement about kiwifarms and their SSL cert problems. Interesting to note that threats did of course occur, just like kiwifarms threatened the family of cloudflare staff as well. they threaten everyone."], @DropKiwifarms, Twitter, 2023 May 16, archived on 2023 May 16</ref> In general, Moon had a tough time keeping the forum in operation, particularly on the clearnet. Of course, Moon didn't blame his actions or the illegal harassment activity spawning from his forum for these troubles; instead he blamed "terroristic harassment" from "[[transgender|trannies]]".<ref name="kiwitelegram"/><ref name="onionfarmdown"/>

On January 25, 2023, Youtuber TomDark had a debate with Moon & [[Destiny (person)|Destiny]], where Moon said that he was going to appeal the court case. He also claimed that he had [[Bullshit|proof]] that Cloudflare is protecting multiple websites that are linked to [[DAESH|ISIS]] and that those websites are spreading ISIS propaganda, as well as Cloudflare protecting sites that host animal torture.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnY6U5eqMow "Destiny and Null talk about Kiwifarms Drama"]</ref>

On 13th December 2023, An individual named Alameen Karim Merali claimed [https://www.facebook.com/100040714673873/posts/1100239121343233/?mibextid=WC7FNe responsibility] for the [https://www.facebook.com/share/GFq1MvK9BZB1GQN5/?mibextid=WC7FNe suspension] of the Kiwi Farms domain after reporting it to Epik. Following the suspension, Epik claimed that they were [https://domainnamewire.com/2024/01/24/epik-boots-kiwi-farms-vows-to-boot-absolutist-free-speech-websites/ forced by a court order] to put the domain on [https://www.wired.com/story/epik-domain-registrar-new-owner/ a client hold] and that the site hosted Child Pornography after supposedly having [http://archive.ph/lGZBh blurred photos] of Alameen posted on their Twitter. Epik later [https://domainnamewire.com/2024/03/18/epik-retracts-statement-about-kiwi-farms/ deleted their Tweets and retracted their statements] regarding this and Kiwi Farms is still looking to sue Epik over this.

===Suicides===
At least three people have committed [[suicide]] after being featured on Kiwi Farms.<ref>Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert (September 3, 2022). [https://www.businessinsider.com/cloudflare-drops-kiwi-farms-website-after-surge-in-credible-threats-2022-9 "Security firm Cloudflare drops Kiwi Farms website — known for hosting relentless online harassment campaigns — after a surge in 'credible threats'"]. ''Business Insider''.</ref> Unsurprisingly, most of the site's users proceeded to mock said suicides, and downplayed the site's involvement.<ref name="New York Magazine">[http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/07/kiwi-farms-the-webs-biggest-community-of-stalkers.html Kiwi Farms the biggest community of stalkers]. (19 Jul 2016). ''New York Magazine''.</ref><ref>[http://news.crocels.com/news/9462/joshua-conner-moon-legal-status-of-lolcow-llc-kiwi-farms/ Joshua Moon questioned over legal status of Kiwi Farms]. (26 Aug 2016). ''Crocels News''.</ref><ref name=hicks>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170129024109/http://heatst.com/tech/notorious-forum-kiwi-farms-closed-following-alleged-harassment-of-founders-family/ Notorious forum Kiwi Farms closed following alleged harassment of founder’s family] by William Hicks (24 Jan 2017) |''Heat Street'' (archived from January 29, 2017).</ref><ref name=Crocels>[http://news.crocels.com/news/9791/twitter-shuts-down-account-of-cyber-bully-joshua-moon/ Twitter shuts down account of cyber-bully Joshua Moon]. (19 Nov 2016). ''Crocels News''.</ref>

On June 27, 2021, Near,<ref group=note>Formerly known as byuu.</ref> the developer of the popular SNES emulator higan,<ref>[https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/The-Silicon-Valley-quest-to-preserve-Stephen-12759775.php The Silicon Valley quest to preserve Stephen Hawking's voice], ''San Fransisco Chronicle''</ref> took their own life after a 3-year-long harassment campaign by the site.<ref name="USATNear">Alia E. Dastagir (July 23, 2021). [https://ghostarchive.org/archive/g0kve "'The internet is not a game. ... This stuff really hurts.' Respected developer who was bullied online dies by suicide."]. ''USA Today''.</ref><ref name=near>[https://twitter.com/marcan42/status/1409176583433179137 A message about Near from a mutual friend.] [https://docs.google.com/document/d/12pOhaaFh998B0kyc5Sm4IhlhIp1c9t5gDNTVVPaiJgI Google Doc of the situation.]</ref><ref name=nearkotaku>[https://kotaku.com/the-brilliant-snes-emulator-creator-known-as-near-has-d-1847182851 The Brilliant SNES Emulator Author Known As Near Has Died], Kotaku</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/near_koukai Near's Twitter account]</ref> The forums responded largely with mockery<ref>[https://archive.ph/Hn4Vk Thread The Great Twitter Meltdown of 2021 page 4] ''Kiwi Farms'' (archived from 27 June 2021).</ref> and outright denial of the suicide in the first place,<ref>[https://archive.ph/dJdcU Null response regarding Byuu / Near] ''Kiwi Farms'' (archived from 29 June 2021).</ref> even as repeated evidence came forward that Near indeed committed suicide. In response, the site got DDOSed for the next couple of days<ref>[https://archive.ph/qy7TT Someone is currently paying money to DoS attack the forum]. Archived from Kiwi Farms, 28 June 2021.</ref> and lost Dreamhost as its domain registrar, which led the site to move to Cloudflare for its registrar and reverse proxy services.<ref>[https://archive.ph/bd359 kiwifarms.net whois lookup], ''who.is'', Archived on 28 July 2021.</ref> Null said there wasn't enough evidence to conclude Near was dead, and said Near was trying to extort him.<ref>[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/near-byuu-suicide "Near / Byuu Suicide"]. KnowYourMeme.</ref> Near's employer as well as a friend attested to the death by suicide.<ref name="USATNear"/><ref>Jody Macgregor (June 28, 2021). [https://www.pcgamer.com/near-creator-of-the-higan-and-bsnes-emulators-has-died/ "Near, creator of the higan and bsnes emulators, has died"]. ''PC Gamer''.</ref> Years later, Null made another post featured site-wide on Kiwi Farms under a title conceding: "Emulator developer Byuu is probably dead." This was based on results from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, however Null said he didn't "have any way to confirm it".<ref>Null (April 4, 2024). [https://archive.ph/aFGx7#selection-5409.45-5409.90 "Emulator developer Byuu is probably dead."] Kiwi Farms, via archive.today.</ref>

===Links between prejudice and child sexual abuse===
Kiwi Farms and its users may sometimes claim to be interested in child protection, which may bear out in some individual cases (maybe not others, such as when the site's users allegedly got a 13-year old boy to pose as a 19-year old to sext an adult Chris-chan<ref name="New York Magazine"/>). The downstream effects of discriminatory attitudes can be harmful to children in ways one may not expect. Those who study child protection draw links between discrimination and child sexual abuse, {{IdEst}} it can be a key factor for creating environments conducive to child sexual abuse. Devaluation of children with disabilities isolates them, leaving them more vulnerable to exploitation.<ref>Nancy Smith and Sandra Harrell (July 1, 2013). [https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/child_law/resources/child_law_practiceonline/child_law_practice/vol_32/july-2013/sexual-abuse-of-children-with-disabilities--a-national-snapshot0/ "Sexual Abuse of Children with Disabilities: A National Snapshot"]. ''Child Law Practice Today'' (American Bar Association).</ref> It's similarly plausible that fostering attitudes of anti-LGBT prejudice makes child sexual abuse more likely because young people who are LGBT or are so-perceived will face relative isolation or family expulsion leading to homelessness, and may even become dependent on abusers as a result.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Georges |first=Emily |date=2023-12-01 |title=Review of the Literature on the Intersection of LGBTQ Youth and CSEC: More Than a Monolith |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40124-023-00302-6 |journal=Current Pediatrics Reports |language=en |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=105–115 |doi=10.1007/s40124-023-00302-6 |issn=2167-4841}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Capaldi |first=Mark |last2=Schatz |first2=Jennifer |last3=Kavenagh |first3=Mark |date=2024-04-01 |title=Child sexual abuse/exploitation and LGBTQI+ children: Context, links, vulnerabilities, gaps, challenges and priorities |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2950193824000019 |journal=Child Protection and Practice |volume=1 |pages=100001 |doi=10.1016/j.chipro.2024.100001 |issn=2950-1938}}</ref> Given that Kiwi Farms also finds fat people to be lolcows, keep in mind people with a history of child abuse victimization are more inclined to disordered eating;<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rosenberg |first=Tamar |last2=Lahav |first2=Yael |last3=Ginzburg |first3=Karni |date=2023-01-01 |title=Child abuse and eating disorder symptoms: Shedding light on the contribution of identification with the aggressor |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0145213422005221 |journal=Child Abuse & Neglect |volume=135 |pages=105988 |doi=10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105988 |issn=0145-2134}}</ref> there is a direct relationship between childhood sexual abuse experiences, psychological distress, binge eating, and body shame.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=O’Loghlen |first=Elyse |last2=Galligan |first2=Roslyn |last3=Grant |first3=Sharon |date=2023-06-13 |title=Childhood maltreatment, shame, psychological distress, and binge eating: testing a serial mediational model |url=https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-023-00819-7 |journal=Journal of Eating Disorders |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=96 |doi=10.1186/s40337-023-00819-7 |issn=2050-2974 |pmid=37312168}}</ref> Kiwi Farms may not themselves be anywhere near culpable for the scale of these problems overall, but neither does any snowflake in an avalanche ever feel responsible.

===Genesis of the name===
The name "Kiwi Farms" fortunately has nothing to do with kiwi birds, kiwifruit, or people from [[New Zealand]], where it has been blocked since March 2019 for providing torrents of the [[Christchurch terrorist attacks|Christchurch shooter]]'s uncensored livestream and manifesto.<ref name="Christchurch">[https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/website-kiwi-farms-refuses-to-surrender-data-linked-to-accused-christchurch-terrorist-brendan-tarrant/news-story/46d3c925ef84b24dde6194c42b3c2241 Website Kiwi Farms refuses to surrender data linked to accused Christchurch terrorist Brendan Tarrant]</ref> In fact, the forum was originally known as the "CWCki Forums". (The CWCki, pronounced like 'Quickie', is a wiki dedicated to {{wpl|Stalking|monitoring}} the aforementioned Christine Chandler. It was once hosted under Kiwi Farms, but broke away due to Kiwi Farms's instability.) The site was christened "Kiwi Farms" to [[Ableism|mock someone with a speech impediment]] saying the original name, struggling with its unintuitive pronunciation.<ref>https://sonichu.com/cwcki/Kiwi_Farms</ref>

==Joshua Conner Moon==
{{cquote|The rule isn't:<br/>
"No trolling."<br/><br/>
The rule is:<br/>
"Don't embarrass me or piss me off with your dumb shit." |20px|20px|Kiwi Farms owner Joshua Conner Moon (aka Null) <ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/archive/GXIFB   Closure of the CWCki Forum's Private Discussion Board]. Archived from kiwifarms.st, 7 March 2024.</ref>}}

{{cquote|I really don't like Vade. It goes against everything I stand for to advocate trolling through this website, but I'm a liar and a hypocrite. There's enough tumblr folk here who know Vade personally to get momentum, too.<br/>Basically, I think people should spam Vade's inbox with gore at around Midnight EST.|||Kiwi Farms owner Joshua Conner Moon <ref>[https://archive.fo/WMrvv Ebin Vade Trolling Plan]. Archived from kiwifarms.st, 9 March 2024.</ref>}}

Joshua Conner Moon {{lived|9 December 1992}}<ref>[http://archive.fo/vONwR Joshua Conner Moon]. Archived from flvoters.com, 20 April 2016.</ref> is the site's administrator, where he is known as "Null".<ref>[https://archive.ph/https://kiwifarms.net/members/null.1/ ''Null's Page''] ''Kiwi Farms'' Multiple archive snapshots, 2016-2022.</ref>

===Views===
*He is loosely associated with the [[alt-right]]. 
*Despite his [[Transphobia]], he has [[Irony|ironically]] stated that he had always wished he was a girl <ref>https://forum.blockland.us/index.php?topic=154949.msg3695079#msg3695079</ref>.
*Moon supports [[Donald Trump|Trump]], referred to Obama as "The [[Nigger]] in chief",<ref>[http://archive.fo/uwZNR ''Josh's Victory Dance'']</ref><ref>http://archive.ph/uwZNR</ref> and believes in the racist and rank [[white genocide]] [[conspiracy theory]].<ref>[http://archive.ph/HAHnL White Genocide]. Archive.ph.</ref><ref>http://archive.ph/QpvwZ.</ref> 
*He thinks [[feminism]] ruins Western culture and says the word "cuck" a lot, probably because it rolls off the tongue well. And the company he keeps is overtly racist and spouts about "white genocide" and wanting to destroy feminism with fire.<ref>http://archive.ph/mAOtD</ref> 
*He has posted that [[Islamophobia|Muslims]] and [[Xenophobia|refugees]] need to be killed.<ref>[http://archive.fo/GZoas Joshua Null Moon Twitter Account]. (15 Nov 2016). Archive.ph.</ref><ref>[http://archive.ph/pchH0 Joshua Moon's extreme comments about killing refugees]. (17 Feb 2017). Archive.fo.</ref> 
*He is also an [[Antisemitism|anti-semite]].<ref>[http://matthewhopkinsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/MoonMoreJewishFingers.png ''Cut Jews Fingers off'']</ref><ref>[http://archive.fo/w9o5o ''Archived From Old Twitter'']</ref>
*He's pro-[[Julian Assange]], saying he would rather be set on fire by [[ISIS]] than deal with the [[UK]] government in reference to Assange's arrest.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190411230328/https:/twitter.com/Leviticus19_18/status/1116474881623973888 ''Josh on Assange''] Via [[Twitter]]</ref>
*Moon has a strong anti-journalist sentiment. When contacted by a NBC investigator, his only response was "The press are scum".<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/cloudflare-kiwi-farms-keffals-anti-trans-rcna44834 Anti-trans stalkers at Kiwi Farms are chasing one victim around the world. Their list of targets is growing.] - NBC News</ref>

===Runs in the family===
His own mom was a Kiwi member<ref>[http://archive.fo/GedF1 ''Son Like Mother'']</ref><ref>[https://archive.fo/ytbkF ''His Mom's Profile'']</ref> and has been in trouble with the police.<ref>[https://archive.ph/Yey0E Candice L Potter Arrest Record on 2013-09-16 01:22:02 in Florida, Escambia]. Archived from findmugshots.com, 2017.</ref> She also worked for Keller Williams as a realtor<ref>[https://archive.ph/69krs ''Keller Williams'']</ref>  until she was fired when her activity on Kiwi Farms was seemingly exposed.<ref>[http://news.crocels.com/news/10010/joshua-conner-moon-kiwi-farms-shutdown/ ''She Got Fired'']</ref>

===Banned===
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSb5Oa-441qvbyLknCcuLKg Joshua Conner Moon was banned from YouTube due to bullying and harassment.]
*His @KiwiFarms [[Twitter]] account was "permanently suspended" for [[racism]].<ref name=Crocels /><ref>[https://archive.ph/7asEq Kiwi Farms] ''Twitter'' (archived from 21 Jan 2016 14:52:02 UTC).</ref> It was back up for a few months under @KiwiFarmsDotNet, although supposedly only for status updates,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220212232800/https://twitter.com/KiwiFarmsDotNet @KiwiFarmsDotNet], ''Twitter'' (archived from February 12, 2022).</ref> but this account was banned a few months later.<ref>[https://archive.ph/0P0Nr Account suspended]. Archived from KiwiFarmsDotNet on Twitter, 1 June 2022.</ref>
*He was also apparently banned from PayPal.<ref>[https://archive.today/drBFA ''Banned From PayPal but not from Mastercard] ''Kiwi Farms'' (archived from December 8, 2022).</ref>
*He was sacked as an admin for [[8chan]] for allegedly promoting [[pedophilia]].<ref name="Christchurch"/>

==Pissed at us==
Kiwi Farms has a [[RationalWiki:Pissed at us|thread]] "discussing" [[RationalWiki]], which it describes as a "whiny hugbox for [[autism|spergs]] and a [[Irony|clusterfuck of never ending drama on a rapidly declining website]]". Cynical later helpfully labeled the statement as "sarcasm", though it's not clear what part of the statement is supposed to be "sarcastic", especially since he continued to insult us.

==Kiwi Farms explainers and free speech defenders==

===Jesse Singal===
{{main|Jesse Singal}}
Podcaster Jesse Singal has long been known for his focus on transgender issues.<ref>[https://jezebel.com/private-messages-reveal-the-cis-journalist-groupthink-b-1827041764 Private Messages Reveal the Cis Journalist Groupthink Behind Trans Media Narrative] Harron Walker (June 27, 2018) ''Jezebel''</ref> His behavior has been called "unprofessional, to say the least",<ref>[https://proteanmag.com/2022/04/22/singal-and-the-noise/ Singal and the Noise] M.K. Anderson (April 22, 2022) ''Protean''</ref> and he has been accused of "activism against the trans rights movement."<ref>[https://www.transgendermap.com/politics/media/jesse-singal/ Jesse Singal vs. transgender people] Transgender Map  by Andrea James</ref>

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Singal has expressed concern when he believes Kiwi Farms has been negatively misrepresented. In September 2023, he tweeted about a Washington Post article<ref name="TikuSep23"/> on Kiwi Farms:

{{quotebox|There's nothing wrong with pointing out how crazy Kiwi Farms can get, but this is so factually challenged and tilts so heavily toward a certain whitewashed activist account...<ref>[https://twitter.com/jessesingal/status/1698434014233710887 There's nothing wrong with pointing out how crazy Kiwi Farms can get...] Jesse Singal (September 3, 2023) ''Twitter /X ''</ref>}}

And a year earlier, Singal engaged in [[whataboutism]] on behalf of Kiwi Farms: 

{{quotebox|The reporting on Kiwifarms continues to be abysmal. I have no doubt the site harassed Fong-Jones, but to leave out the fact that Trans Lifeline's old leadership IN FACT EMBEZZLED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FROM THE ORGANIZATION is inexcusable.<ref>[https://gist.github.com/travisbrown/373b49b7044f66a542885825612981e3 Deleted tweets for jessesingal] (original Tweet 6 September 2022)</ref>}}

===Electronic Frontier Foundation===

The [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] protested actions taken against Kiwi Farms by the Tier 1 (Internet backbone) provider Hurricane, on the grounds that although Kiwi Farms enables doxxing, harassment, and abuse, it should be allowed to do so, after which perpetrators of any crimes related to the doxxing, harassment, and abuse should be prosecuted: 

{{quotebox|If the site in question were Reddit, or Planned Parenthood, or even EFF, the internet would be up in arms. It is not, and it’s not hard to see why. The affected site is an almost universally despised forum for hateful speech and planning vicious attacks on vulnerable people: Kiwi Farms. For many, the natural response is to declare good riddance to bad rubbish—and understandably so.

At EFF, our mission and history requires us to look at the bigger picture, and sound the alarm about the risks even when the facts are horrific.

That means we need to say it even if it’s not comfortable: Hurricane Electric is wrong here. It gives us no joy to call Hurricane on this, not least because many will perceive it as an implicit defense of the KF site. It is not. A site that provides a forum for gamifying abuse and doxxing, whose users have celebrated on its pages the IRL deaths of the targets of their harassment campaigns, deserves no sympathy. We fully support criminal and civil liability for those who abuse and harass others.<ref>[https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/isps-should-not-police-online-speech-no-matter-how-awful-it ISPs Should Not Police Online Speech—No Matter How Awful It Is.] (August 29, 2023) ''ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATIONAUGUST 29, 2023''</ref>}}

Transgender journalist Evan Urquhart responded to the free speech arguments, pointing out that a major effect of the harassment enabled by Kiwi Farms was [[Chilling effect|to prevent others from engaging in free speech]]:

{{quotebox|The debate over Kiwi Farms has centered on free speech, and that’s appropriate. All people deserve the right to express their views. This famously includes hateful views, but it also includes views like advocacy on behalf of trans or women’s rights, as well as “views” that consist of simply sharing one’s life and experiences as a trans, disabled, or autistic person. Kiwi Farms’ whole reason for being has been to suppress the freedom of those they disagree with. Their users didn’t merely express themselves in hateful ways, but took action, often criminal action, to silence others. That’s why these online hooligans should never be allowed to wrap themselves in the free speech mantle. Free speech can thrive as long as Kiwi Farms can't.<ref>[https://slate.com/technology/2022/09/kiwi-farms-cloudlfare-anti-trans-speech.html The Voldemort of Anti-Trans Websites Got Booted From the Web, and Somehow That’s Controversial] Evan Urquhart (September 4 2022) ''Slate''</ref>}}

===Heterodorx===

The most enthusiastic defenders of Kiwi Farms on the grounds of free speech is a podcast called ''Heterodorx'' hosted by {{wpl|Nina Paley}} and [https://www.transgendermap.com/politics/media/corinna-cohn/ Corinna Cohn]. They interviewed Joshua Moon for their podcast, and in their description of the episode lamented Kiwi Farms' situation: 

{{quotebox|...who expected “the gossip site that makes fun of troons” to be the straw to break the Internet’s backbone? And why have the individuals and organizations who once stood against censorship lost their own.<ref>[https://www.heterodorx.com/podcast/episode-107-how-the-internet-lost-its-backbone-with-joshua-moon/ Episode 107: How the Internet Lost its Backbone, with Joshua Moon] (August 3, 2023) ''Heterodox''</ref>}}

====Nina Paley and Gender Wars Playing Cards====

Separately from Cohn, Paley has illustrated and published a collection of playing cards called "Gender Wars."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230902125903/https://www.heterodorx.com/gender-wars-cards/ "A Newbie’s Guide to the GENDER WARS",] ''Heterodorx'', archived 2023 March 20</ref> The deck represents the "gender critical," whom Paley considers allies, in the red suits. Paley's opponents, called "transactivists," are represented by the black suits, including "mass murderer Dana Rivers." The red suit allies include [[Jesse Singal]], [[J. K. Rowling]], [[Matt Walsh]], and Kiwi Farms. The description of the Kiwi Farms card on the Heterodorx website reads: 

{{quotebox|A holdout from the free, wild-west internet-forum era, Kiwi Farms is the most censored site in the world. Its users stalk/document the activities of lolcows, such as notorious trans cartoonist Chris-Chan. Denounced as a doxxing site, it might nonetheless be the last stand for free expression online.}}

It's probably indicative of how little concern Paley has for Kiwi Farms' targets, or the reality of Kiwi Farms' impact, that she represents the "LOLCOW" on the card as stupidly grinning, rather than in anguish, with a noose around its neck. But perhaps that would not be as cute or funny as the fans of Gender Wars Cards would like.

Fans of Gender Wars Playing Cards include Pamela Paresky,<ref>[https://archive.ph/jmKBD @ninapaley’s cards are so funny...] [https://www.chq.org/event/pamela-paresky/ Pamela Paresky] (August 6, 2023) ''Twitter/X'', archived on 2023 Oct 20</ref> Carole Hooven,<ref>[https://archive.ph/nxoEp @ninapaley's Gender Wars playing cards were a hit at the @icons_women conference. You can order them at the link.] Carole Hooven (July 23, 2023) ''Twitter/X'', archived on 2023 Oct 20</ref> [[Jordan Peterson]],<ref>[https://archive.ph/14IhP Nina Paley is a strange and hyper-creative creature and these cards are just what you'd expect in consequence.] Jordan Peterson (June 14, 2023) ''Twitter/X'', archived on 2023 Oct 20</ref> [[Mumsnet]],<ref>[https://archive.ph/KMFX1 Talk] (March 31, 2023) ''Mumsnet'', archived on 2023 Oct 20</ref> and [[J. K. Rowling]].<ref>[https://archive.ph/VjDvI OMG @jk_rowling signed her GENDER WARS card for @MForstater!!]] Nina Paley (October 17, 2023) ''Twitter/X'' (archived from 25 Oct 2023 04:49:01 UTC).</ref>

==1776 Solutions LLC==

Kiwi Farms is operated by a company "1776 Solutions" LLC owned by Joshua Moon.<ref>https://www.crikey.com.au/2022/09/02/kiwi-farms-cloudflare-liz-fong-jones-internet-law/</ref><ref>https://www.linkedin.com/in/1776moon</ref> The company is registered in Wyoming, US and its registrant agent is Northwest Registered Agent Service,<ref>https://wyobiz.wyo.gov/Business/FilingDetails.aspx?eFNum=034127143077132130035027094038122174129088154221</ref> which has been investigated for facilitating shady business dealings.<ref>https://www.wired.com/story/registered-agents-inc-fake-personas/</ref>

==See also==
* {{wpl|Something Awful||,}} the site's ancestor.
* [[Lolcow]], the site victims.
* [[Cringe culture]], the site's lifestyle.
* [[Mikemikev]], a neo-Nazi "lolcow" with a 700+ page thread on Kiwi Farms.
* [[Ethan Ralph]], another alt-right "lolcow" beefing with Null.
* [[Encyclopædia Dramatica]], another cesspit that revels in nastiness towards other people — including KiwiFarms users.

==External links==
*{{wpa|Kiwi Farms}}
*[https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/02/kiwi-farms-die-drop-cloudflare-chandler-trolls/ ''Mother Jones'' article about Kiwi Farms]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}
[[Category:4chan]]
[[Category:Ableism]]
[[Category:Alt-right]]
[[Category:Antifeminism]]
[[Category:Antisemitism]]
[[Category:Clogosphere]]
[[Category:Doxers]]
[[Category:Fascism]]
[[Category:Gamergate]]
[[Category:Holocaust denial]]
[[Category:Homophobia]]
[[Category:Internet kooks]]
[[Category:Islamophobia]]
[[Category:Internet hate sites]]
[[Category:Neo-Nazism]]
[[Category:Pissed at us]]
[[Category:Propaganda]]
[[Category:Racism]]
[[Category:Sexism]]
[[Category:Terrorists]]
[[Category:Transphobia]]
[[Category:Trolls]]
[[Category:Webshites]]
[[Category:White supremacy]]
[[Category:Alt-tech]]

Categories: 4chan, Ableism, Alt-right, Antifeminism, Antisemitism, Clogosphere, Doxers, Fascism, Gamergate, Holocaust denial, Homophobia, Internet kooks, Islamophobia, Internet hate sites, Neo-Nazism, Pissed at us, Propaganda, Racism, Sexism, Terrorists, Transphobia, Trolls, Webshites, White supremacy, Alt-tech