Is Anyone Up?

Is Anyone Up? was an online pornographic website based on stolen and hacked photos that ceased operation in 2012. It allowed users to submit photographs or videos anonymously, mainly nude, erotic, and sexually explicit images. The site was closely associated with the metalcore and post-hardcore music scene, also featuring and depicting numerous nude photos of musicians of these genres.

Is Anyone Up?
Type of site
Adult website, media submission
Available inEnglish
OwnerBullyVille
Created byHunter Moore
RegistrationNone
Launched2010 (2010)
Current statusDefunct; closed on April 19, 2012 (April 19, 2012)

Is Anyone Up? was subject to great controversy because of the prevalence of revenge porn submissions to the service, many of which were submitted by former romantic partners without consent and with malicious intent. Many of the submitted revenge porn images were obtained as a result of multiple email account hacks. The ongoing incidents resulted in numerous lawsuits and even death threats aimed at Hunter Moore, founder and owner of Is Anyone Up?. The website was shut down on April 19, 2012.[1]

History and background

Is Anyone Up? was founded in late 2010.[2] Founder Hunter Moore stated that the site was originally intended to be a nightlife website. The idea for the site came from a woman who he continually asked to send him suggestive pictures. He then created a blog, hosting nude photographs from any person who would send them to him, which eventually became isanyoneup.com.[3] Moore profited off the website by running pornography ads and selling merchandise.[4] For the month of November 2011, the website's revenue was $13,000, its server fees were $8,000, and its page views were over 30 million.[5] Moore reported that he worked 19 hours a day, five days a week, managing the site, and had a team of six working for him, including two age-verification specialists, to ensure that everyone shown was at least 18 years old.[4] Another partner, Sam Boyd, also spent time moderating and filtering requests.

Submissions to the website usually followed the same formula, depicting a person's social networking website profile thumbnail (such as their Facebook or Twitter profile), then showing images of them clothed, before revealing images of their genitalia. In some cases, images showed people engaging in sexual acts such as masturbation. Each submission line then ended with a "reaction image", usually showing a still or animated gif file of a popular scene or Internet meme as a satirical "reaction" to the images shown.

Moore stated that he took legal precautions before uploading images to the site, initially verifying the age of the people whose photographs were submitted through social networking sites. He sent the IP information of people who submitted photos of underage individuals to a lawyer in Las Vegas, who turned it over to law enforcement. Another category on the site, called "Daily Hate", featured angry reactions from people who had their pictures posted without their consent.

On April 19, 2012, Moore sold the website to James McGibney, who runs Bullyville.com, a site which allows anonymous people to share details about people who have bullied or harassed them.[6][7] Moore posted an open letter to BullyVille.com and on the isanyoneup.com domain explaining his decision.[8][9]

Controversy

Is Anyone Up? was the subject of much controversy. Many individuals sued Moore or those associated with the Is Anyone Up? domain for the display of their nude images on the website.[10] While some images were self-submitted, others were "revenge porn", which has been described as being "pornographic souvenirs from relationships gone sour".[11]

People threaten me with lawsuits every day, which is funny, because it fuels the site. ... The people that get mad hate my site and want to take it down. They send me all this crazy stuff, but at the same time they’re just building content for my site, which just makes me more popular.[12]

In November 2011, Moore appeared on Anderson to discuss Is Anyone Up? while being confronted by two women who had been exposed on the website by an anonymous user. When one of the women criticized Moore for "helping" deceptive people who spread such photographs, he responded: "No one put a gun to your head and made you take these pictures. It's 2011, everything's on the Internet."[13]

On August 21, 2012, BullyVille founder James McGibney posted an open letter to Hunter Moore on the main page of the isanyoneup domain, announcing a class action lawsuit and encouraging people to join in.[14]

Incidents

Floridian rock band A Day to Remember refused to play at the 2011 Bamboozle festival, knowing Hunter Moore was in attendance. They demanded that he be removed from the venue because they objected to Moore's site hosting nude images of the band's bassist, Joshua Woodard, weeks beforehand.[15]

One morning in August 2011, Moore was attacked and stabbed with a pen by a woman featured on the website.[16] Moore managed to escape with a shoulder wound that required surgery.

In December 2011, social networking website Facebook reportedly threatened legal action against the website, blocked any linking to the isanyoneup.com domain through its site, and deleting the official "like" page from its database.

FBI investigation
Further information: Hunter Moore

On May 16, 2012, The Village Voice reported that Moore and Is Anyone Up? were the subject of an investigation by the FBI, as a large number of the pictures formerly hosted on the site were believed to have been illegally obtained by a hacker known as "Gary Jones".[17] ABC Nightline revealed that the FBI investigation was started by Charlotte Laws after a photo of her daughter appeared on the website.[18]

In January 2014, Moore and his alleged aide Charles Evens were arrested by the FBI and indicted in a federal district court in California on charges of conspiracy, unauthorized access to a protected computer, and aggravated identity theft.[19][20]

In February 2015, Moore pled guilty to aggravated identity theft and aiding and abetting in the unauthorized access of a computer.

On July 2, 2015, Charles Evens pleaded guilty to charges of computer hacking and identity theft, confessing to stealing hundreds of images from women's email accounts and selling them to Moore. U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee sentenced Evens to more than two years in jail and a fine of $2000.[21] The same judge sentenced Moore in December 2015 to 2 1/2 years in a federal prison with three years' supervision following his release. He also had to undergo a mental health evaluation and pay a $2000 fine.[22]

Previously mentioned Florida based metalcore group A Day to Remember have a song named "Life Lessons Learned The Hard Way" that describes an attack on Moore that was planned, but never carried out. The song also touches on the topic of a suicide that happened due to nude photos of the person being posted on the site and subsequently spread throughout the internet.

German metalcore group Electric Callboy have a single named "Is Anyone Up?" that describes the site's general idea and attributes.[23] Electronic band Blood on the Dance Floor released the album Evolution in 2012, containing the song "Revenge Porn" which references the site and Hunter Moore in the lyrics.[24][25] Electropop group Millionaires released a remix of the Ludacris song "My Chick Bad" titled "My Chick Bad (Remix)" that contained lyrics discussing posting images on Is Anyone Up?.

In July 2022, Netflix announced they were releasing a three-part documentary series on July 27 about Moore and IsAnyoneUp.com entitled The Most Hated Man on the Internet featuring interviews with victims and law enforcement. Moore initially agreed to take part in the documentary but later declined.[26]

See also

References
  1. "IsAnyoneUp Is Now Permanently Down". Forbes. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. Zelmer, Emily. "Naked & Famous: How A Risque New Website Pushes Boundaries And Buttons". Alternative Press. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  3. Wanger, Christian. "Is Anyone Up - 04.17.11 - Interview". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  4. Stern, Marlow (13 July 2017). "Hunter Moore, Creator of 'Revenge Porn' Website Is Anyone Up?, Is the Internet's Public Enemy No. 1". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  5. Gold, Danny (10 November 2011). "The Man Who Makes Money Publishing Your Nude Pics". The Awl. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  6. Kushner, David (October 7, 2014). "Vigilanteville: James McGibney and his online army". al Jazeera. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  7. Neil, Martha (24 January 2014). "'Most hated man on the Internet' is charged with email hacking to get photos for revenge porn site". American Bar Association. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  8. "Isanyoneup.com, revenge porn website, shuts down after selling to anty-bullying group". BullyVille. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  9. "BullyVille.com shuts down Isanyoneup.com". BullyVille. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  10. Martens, Todd (4 December 2011). "Rockers, fully exposed on Is Anyone Up?". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  11. Hill, Kashmir (July 6, 2011). "Revenge Porn With A Facebook Twist". Forbes. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  12. Guarini, Drew (August 24, 2012). "Hunter Moore, Is Anyone Up Founder, Says New Website Will Be 'Scariest On The Internet'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  13. "Exposed Women Confront Website Owner: 'What is Your Motive?'". YouTube. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  14. "James McGibney's Open Letter To Hunter Moore". James McGibney. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  15. "A day To Remember kicks "Is Anyone Up" creator out of Bamboozle". Common Revolt. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  16. Dodero, Camille (2012-04-04). "Hunter Moore Makes a Living Screwing You". Village Voice. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  17. Camille Dodero. ""Gary Jones" Wants Your Nudes". May 16, 2012. The Village Voice. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  18. Karlinsky, Neal (May 22, 2012). "FBI Investigates 'Revenge Porn' Website Founder". ABC News.
  19. "FBI Arrests "The Most Hated Man on the Internet," Revenge-Porn King Hunter Moore". Mother Jones. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  20. "Moore-Evens Indictment". Scribd. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  21. "Charles Evens, 'Revenge Porn' hacker, handed 25-month prison sentence". The Washington Times, LLC. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  22. "Revenge porn purveyor Hunter Moore is sentenced to prison". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  23. "Eskimo Call Boy made an Is Anyone Up theme song #NBHNC". Stuff You Will Hate. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  24. "Blood On The Dance Floor - Revenge Porn Lyric Video". NME. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  25. "Blood On The Dance Floor - Evolution - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. 2012-06-19. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  26. "'The Most Hated Man on the Internet': See Trailer for Netflix Docuseries on Infamous Website". RollingStone. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
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