BleepingComputer Defends Freedom of Speech

BleepingComputer Defends Freedom of Speech

Hey folks,

Very recently, a very popular and useful website called Bleeping Computer reached out to the community at large asking for help.

See, Bleeping Computer is known for helping out folks remove malware and keep their systems safe, without charging any fee or additional costs, similar to our own support forums.

The content is provided by the volunteer efforts of security professionals and the more than 700,000 registered users who ask and answer all questions presented on the site. To summarize, Bleeping Computer is a valuable resource in the efforts to help users live in a malware free world.

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Unfortunately, that all might change pretty soon here. A software development company, Enigma software, is suing Bleeping Computer because of a negative review which was posted on the site about their product, Spyware Hunter. Basically they want BC to take down the post because it makes them look bad.

Now as I mentioned earlier, all of the content on BC is provided by volunteers and the only money the site makes is from advertising, and affiliate advertising (which Malwarebytes participates in for purposes of full disclosure) which goes into server costs and the like. So it’s safe to say that the folks who run BC don’t have the kind of cash to hire a legal team and fight back.

Because of this, BC has called out to the community to help provide whatever they can in an effort to not only help BC hire a legal team to counter Enigma but also to maintain freedom of speech for commenters and reviewers.

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Basically, if Enigma can force BC to take down a negative review, that means that they can go after any site asking for the same thing and so could anybody else, which basically overrides the freedom of speech and expression we all currently enjoy online.

Now our CEO, Marcin Kleczynski, has decided to lend a hand and donated $5,000 to their cause because he truly believes in the basic rights of every human to be able to speak their mind and present facts or opinions online without fear of being sued or censored for it.

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If you want to help out Bleeping Computer, or just want to show your support by posting on their forums, feel free to check out their case.

Otherwise, we wish BC the best of luck and want them to know that we support them in what they have been and will hopefully continue to do for the security community.

Thanks for reading, safe surfing!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam Kujawa

Director of Malwarebytes Labs

Over 14 years of experience fighting malware on the front lines and behind the scenes. Frequently anachronistic.