The New York Attorney General has launched an investigation into 4chan, 8chan, Twitch, Discord, and other forums in the aftermath of the Buffalo massacre.
New York AG Letitia James announced that her office is investigating the forums after the gunman revealed he was radicalized by racist extremists on those message boards.
The shooter is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of 10 people at the Tops Friendly supermarket in Buffalo on Saturday.
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The investigation will focus on the forums and other online resources that the shooter discussed in his 180-page manifesto. He specifically mentioned 4chan in his manifesto and he live-streamed his shooting rampage on Twitch.
The shooter said he hated Black people and he was outraged over the so-called “white replacement” theory. He wrote the n-word on his assault rifle. All 10 victims are Black or mixed race.
The forums spew hateful messages and imagery, but the racist posts are protected under free speech laws.
However, the AG referred to a New York law that allows her office to investigate matters concerning public peace, public safety, and public justice and to subpoena witnesses and compel the production of documents.
4chan, a notoriously racist extremist message board, has been the target of the federal government in the pass. The board has been shut down by the feds at least twice in the past.
