Removal of 2channel, 5channel and Copy Sites, Summary Sites

The largest anonymous bulletin board in Japan, known as “2channel,” has now changed its name to “5channel.” However, confusingly, there is also a separate bulletin board site called “2channel (2ch.sc).” Furthermore, once a post is made on 5channel, it is also reposted on 2channel (2ch.sc). In addition, there are groups of sites, known as “copy sites,” where posts from 5channel and 2channel are automatically reposted. There are also groups of sites, known as “summary sites,” that manually format popular threads from 5channel and 2channel into blog-like articles and publish them.

It’s quite confusing, but ultimately,

1. Once a post is made on 5channel (formerly 2channel),
2. That post is automatically copied to 2channel (2ch.sc),
3. It is also automatically copied to the so-called copy sites, and
4. The post is also reposted on summary sites and the like.

This is what happens.

Deleting All Posts Across All Sites is Necessary for Complete Resolution

There seems to be some confusion in certain quarters, but the aforementioned “copying” and “reposting” are actions taken at the time of posting or when creating article pages. Once a post has been copied or reposted, deleting the original post will not remove the pages where the post was copied or reposted. For instance, in the example above, even if you delete a post within 5channel (formerly 2channel), the pages on 2channel (2ch.sc) and copy sites will remain intact.

Therefore, when deleting a post from 5channel (formerly 2channel), it is necessary to delete all posts on the internet, including these. To put it another way, if you find a problematic post on a certain “summary site”, there should be posts on the original source, 5channel (formerly 2channel), or 2channel (2ch.sc). If you do not completely erase these as well, the problematic post will remain on the internet.

I will explain the relationship between 5channel (formerly 2channel), 2channel (2ch.sc), copy sites, summary sites, etc., and their respective deletion methods.

5channel (formerly 2channel) and 2channel (2ch.sc)

For those who have been using the internet for a long time, “2channel” was an anonymous bulletin board operated by Hiroyuki Nishimura, and its domain was “2ch.net”. This site was launched in 1999, and by around 2009, it had over 11 million users, making it the largest anonymous bulletin board in Japan.

However, this “2channel” no longer exists. Around 2014, the actual management rights of 2channel were transferred from Hiroyuki Nishimura to Jim Watkins, and Hiroyuki Nishimura newly established “2channel (2ch.sc)”. Nishimura criticized the transfer of management rights to Watkins as an “illegal takeover”, and Watkins eventually changed the name of “2channel (2ch.net)” to “5channel” and its domain to “5ch.net” to avoid unnecessary disputes.

As a result,

• On Jim Watkins’ side, there is 5channel (5ch.net), and its operating entity is “Loki Technology Inc” (a Philippine corporation)
• On Hiroyuki Nishimura’s side, there is 2channel (2ch.sc), and its operating entity is “PACKET MONSTER INC, PTE.LTD” (a Singapore corporation)

Reposting from 5channel to 2channel

And, 2channel (2ch.sc) has a feature that automatically copies any posts made to 5channel (5ch.net).

When you look at a thread on 2channel (2ch.sc), each post is assigned an “ID”. Those IDs ending in “.net” are posts that have been automatically copied from 5channel (5ch.net).

In other words, the structure is as follows;

• When a post is made to 5channel (5ch.net), that post is automatically copied to 2channel (2ch.sc)
• There are also posts made directly to 2channel (2ch.sc)

In the former case, you need to delete both:

• The original post existing on 5channel (5ch.net)
• The post on 2channel (2ch.sc) that was copied from 1

How to Delete Posts on 5channel and 2channel

5channel and 2channel are relatively difficult sites to delete posts from.

• Deletion on 5channel (formerly 2channel) is done by email deletion request
• Deletion on 2channel (2ch.sc) is done through a deletion request thread

These are the basics, but it is often the case that they do not readily delete posts, and it is often necessary to ask a lawyer to take measures such as provisional dispositions for deletion.

Copy Sites of 2channel and 5channel

Furthermore, there are numerous websites on the internet, known as “copy sites,” that simply display copied posts from 5channel (5ch.net) and 2channel (2ch.sc). Some of the representative ones include:

• 2ch☆Rank
• Log Soku (No longer exists)
• Mimizun
• Monara
• 2channel Momentum Report
• Open 2channel

These sites are not bulletin boards themselves, and you cannot post directly to them. Instead, they automatically copy threads from the bulletin boards of 2channel and 5channel and display them.

Depending on the site, the specifications may vary. If a post is made to 5channel (5ch.net) or 2channel (2ch.sc), a “copy” of that post may also be generated on these sites. Conversely, if a post exists on these sites, the original post must exist on 5channel (5ch.net) or 2channel (2ch.sc).

Many of these sites include links to the original threads on 5channel (5ch.net) or 2channel (2ch.sc), often referred to as “original threads.”

The method of removal from these sites varies by each site. If a site has a form for removal requests or if the administrator’s email address is public, it is possible to negotiate with the administrator through these means. Additionally, some sites allow you to investigate the server administrator and request removal in the form of a transmission prevention measure request. These are pieces of “know-how” that lawyers dealing with reputational damage have.

Of course, the operating guidelines vary by site, but generally speaking, these sites simply automatically copy 2channel and 5channel, so the response often changes depending on whether the original post on 2channel or 5channel has been deleted.

• If the original post on 2channel or 5channel has been deleted → Requests to comply with deletion because the original has been deleted are likely to be accepted
• If the original post on 2channel or 5channel has not been deleted → They are likely to respond by asking you to delete the original post on 2channel or 5channel before requesting deletion

Please note that this is just the general trend and the operating guidelines vary by site…

Also, in these deletion scenarios, if deletion cannot be achieved through out-of-court negotiations, you may need to seek deletion through a procedure using the courts, known as a “provisional disposition.”

Summary Sites of 2channel and 5channel

There are sites that manually compile and publish threads from 2channel and 5channel in a blog-like format. These are what are commonly referred to as “summary sites”. Some representative examples include:

• Painful News (ﾉ∀`)
• Alfalfa Mosaic
• New Soquality
• Hamster News
• Leisure Person＼(^o^)／News
• VIPPER like me

and so on.

While these sites may look like bulletin boards (2channel and 5channel), they are actually blog-type sites where the administrator manually creates each article. They are sites that introduce threads from 2channel and 5channel in a blog format. Many of these sites have strong SEO, and if an individual’s or company’s name is posted, it often appears at the top of Google search results when searched by name.

The method of removing these sites varies depending on the site. As with “copy sites”, it is often necessary to request removal from the operator or server administrator.

Also, while the operating guidelines vary by site, as with “copy sites”, these are blog-type sites where the administrator manually creates each article, and the operator is responsible for the publication of the article in any sense. Regardless of whether the original post on 2channel or 5channel has been deleted, the response often varies depending on whether there is a legal justification for the request for deletion.

Summary

As we have seen, it can be difficult to distinguish between different types of “2channel”-style websites and pages at first glance. However, understanding the origins of the site, and the reasons why a problematic post appears there, can help. Specifically, you need to determine:

• Whether the post was written directly on the site,
• Whether it was automatically copied from another site, or
• Whether it was manually reposted from another site.

The method for requesting deletion varies depending on these factors. It’s worth repeating that if a post is found on one of these sites, such as a “copy site”, there’s a high likelihood that the same post exists on other sites. Unless all of these are completely erased, the problematic post will continue to exist on the internet.

Without the expertise and know-how in investigating and deleting posts related to 2channel and 5channel-related sites, it can be difficult to fully grasp the extent of the damage and to completely remove these posts.

Don’t push yourself too hard and consult with a specialist lawyer as soon as possible.