Is Anyone Up?

Is Anyone Up?
Slogan "Pure Evil"
Type of site
 Adult website, media submission
Registration None
Available in English
Owner BullyVille
Created by Hunter Moore
Launched 2010
Alexa rank
 negative increase 2,902,768 (April 2014)[1]
closed April 19, 2012

Is Anyone Up? was a pornographic submission website. It allowed users to anonymously submit nude photographs or streaming media of any person (above the legal age limit) to its database. The website was closely associated with the metalcore and post-hardcore music scene, featuring and depicting numerous nude photos of musicians of the genre, in addition to their fans. During its two-year run, Is Anyone Up? was subject to great controversy due to its submissions vastly being based on what is called revenge porn; nude photographs of a person submitted by a former romantic partner of that person displayed in the images.

As a result to its controversy, numerous death threats, lawsuits and campaigns dedicated to having the website taken down were made to founder and owner Hunter Moore. On April 19, 2012, Is Anyone Up? was shut down.

History and background

Is Anyone Up? was founded in late 2010.[2] Founder Hunter Moore stated the idea for the site came from a woman who continuously sent him exposing pictures, he then created a blog hosting nude photographs and it eventually became isanyoneup.com.[3] As of November 2011, the website netted as much as $13,000 monthly. Moore said he spends generally 12 hours five days a week managing posts. He also said that the website has over 30 million page views a month.[4]

Each submission to the website usually follows the same formula of depicting a man or woman's social networking website profile thumbnail (such as their Facebook or Twitter profile) and then depicts images of them clothed before revealing images exposing their genitalia, or even in some cases, engaging in sexual acts such as masturbation. Each submission line then ends with a "reaction image", usually showing a still or animated gif file of a popular culture scene or Internet meme as a satire "reaction" to the shown images. Hunter Moore states that he takes legal precautions before uploading people onto the site, initially verifying the age of the people submitted through social networking sites and sends the IP information of people who submit photos of underage individuals to a lawyer in Las Vegas who turns it over to law enforcement. Other categories of the site exist such as "Daily Hate", a topic that features angry reactions from people who have had their pictures posted without their consent.

On April 19, 2012, the website was sold to an antibullying group by Moore.[5] He posted an open letter explaining his decision.[6] He left an open letter on BullyVille.com explaining why he did so to anyone who attempts to open the isanyoneup.com domain.[7]

Controversy

Is Anyone Up? has been subject to much controversy. Many individuals have resorted to either suing Moore or those associated with the Is Anyone Up? domain for the hosting of their nude images displayed on the website.[8] While some images are self-submitted and others are "revenge porn" (which is described as being "pornographic souvenirs from relationships gone sour").[9]

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.[10]

In November 2011, Moore appeared on Anderson to discuss Is Anyone Up? while being confronted by two women who were submitted onto the website by an anonymous user. When one of the women criticized Moore for "helping" deceptive people that spread such photographs, he responded with "No one put a gun to your head and made you take these pictures. It's 2011, everything's on the Internet."[11]

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.[12]

Incidents

Floridian rock band, A Day to Remember refused to play at the 2011 Bamboozle festival, knowing Hunter Moore was an attendee at their performance. They demanded he would have to be removed from the venue due to their conflict with Moore after hosting nude images of the band's bassist, Joshua Woodard weeks beforehand.[13]

One morning in August 2011, Moore was attacked and stabbed with a pen by a woman featured on the website.[14] Moore managed to escape with a shoulder wound that required surgery.

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

FBI Investigation

For more details on this topic, see 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'.[15] ABC Nightline revealed that the FBI investigation was started by Charlotte Laws after a photo of her daughter appeared on the website.[16]

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.[17][18]

Popular culture

German metalcore group Eskimo Callboy have a single entitled "Is Anyone Up?" that describes the site's general idea and attributes.[19] New York-based pop punk band, Forget Me in Vegas, also have a single named "Is Anyone Up", which is also written about the site.[20] 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.[21][22] 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?.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Isanyoneup.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  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. ↑ Gold, Danny (November 10, 2011). "The Man Who Makes Money Publishing Your Nude Pics". The Awl. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ "Isanyoneup.com, revenge porn website, shuts down after selling to anty-bullying group". BullyVille. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "BullyVille.com shuts down Isanyoneup.com". BullyVille. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  8. ↑ Martens, Todd (4 December 2011). "Rockers, fully exposed on Is Anyone Up?". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  9. ↑ Hill, Kashmir (July 6, 2011). "Revenge Porn With A Facebook Twist". Forbes. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ "Exposed Women Confront Website Owner: 'What is Your Motive?". Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "James McGibney's Open Letter To Hunter Moore.". James McGibney. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  13. ↑ "A day To Remember kicks "Is Anyone Up" creator out of Bamboozle". Common Revolt. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  14. ↑ Dodero, Camille (2012-04-04). "Hunter Moore Makes a Living Screwing You". Village Voice. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  15. ↑ Camille Dodero. ""Gary Jones" Wants Your Nudes". May 16, 2012. The Village Voice. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  16. ↑ Karlinsky, Neal (May 22, 2012). "FBI Investigates 'Revenge Porn' Website Founder". ABC News.
  17. ↑ "FBI Arrests "The Most Hated Man on the Internet," Revenge-Porn King Hunter Moore". Mother Jones. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  18. ↑ "Moore-Evens Indictment". Scribd. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  19. ↑ "ESKIMO CALL BOY made an IS ANYONE UP theme song #NBHNC". Stuff You Will Hate. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  20. ↑ "Forget Me in Vegas-"Is Anyone Up" short video". NMETV. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  21. ↑ "Blood On The Dance Floor - Revenge Porn Lyric Video". Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  22. ↑ "Blood On The Dance Floor - Evolution - Alternative Press". Retrieved 26 May 2013.

External links