Hunter Moore: Who is the ‘most hated man on the internet’ and where is he now?
New Netflix documentary focuses on ‘revenge porn king’
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Your support makes all the difference.Netflix’s latest true crime documentary follows the story of Hunter Moore, a controversial figure from the world of online revenge porn.
The Most Hated Man on the Internet was released on the streaming service on Wednesday (27 July).
Viewers have already expressed shock over some of the behaviours depicted in the three-episode series, with some branding its central figure “vile” and “sick”.
But who was Hunter Moore, and why did Netflix decide to make a documentary about him?
Who was Moore?
Moore was born in 1986 and hails from Sacramento, California. He first gained notoriety in 2010 when he started the website Is Anyone Up?
While Moore has claimed that “revenge porn” had never been the original purpose of the website, Is Anyone Up? became a forum for users to share explicit images of people they knew, linking the photos to real social media profiles.
Moore allegedly refused to remove pictures from the website at the behest of the victims, many of whom said the files had been stolen through hacks or by malicious ex-partners.
The sobriquet of “the most hated man on the Internet” originated from a Rolling Stone article, published after Moore had been widely criticised for his website’s practicises. He was also renowned for his unapologetic responses to criticism, responding to complaints or requests to remove content with messages such as “LOL”.
What happened to his website?
The domain IsAnyoneUp.com was sold in 2012 to a web entrepreneur named James McGibney. The website was subsequently altered to direct traffic to an anti-bullying website.
There are also now far stricter laws prohibiting revenge porn from being shared online in countries including the UK and US. At the time of Moore’s internet infamy, Is Anyone Up? was, shockingly, legal.
What happened to Moore?
While many of his most reprehensible actions were lawful at the time, Moore faced a strong public backlash for the revenge porn website.
He faced numerous lawsuits and was subject to an FBI investigation, alongside an associate, a hacker named Charles Evens.
The FBI investigation eventually led to an indictment in 2014. In 2015, Moore pleaded guilty to charges of to aiding and abetting hacking, and aggravated identity theft. He served two years in prison before being granted supervised release and ordered to pay a $500,000 fine.
Moore’s case did, however, lead to campaigns which brought about stricter legislation around revenge porn.
The Most Hated Man on the Internet is available to stream on Netflix now.
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