February 16, 2012, 11:29 AM —
flickr/aturkus
Another website that allows users to upload content taken off the Web without due process.
Aytekin Tank, JotForm.com cofounder, used the company blog to explain how the US Government suspended the jotform.com domain. Tank says JotForm has been cooperating, but has no timetable from the shuttering agency for a release of his domain name. The offending content came from a JotForm user, not the company.
JotForm hosts over two million user-generated forms, and uses software to block fraudulent accounts (65,000 so far). Some point to forms used for a phishing attack on a South African bank as the content that created the problem, but nothing official has been released at this time. Aytekin Tank says it all: "SOPA may not have passed, but what happened shows that it is already being practiced. All they have to do is to ask Godaddy to take a site down."
Is my stuff safe?
we have 80 forms on different websites now they are all gone …
Marcin on ghacks.net
This is very serious, I have 3 paid accounts with you guys and collect 100's of submissions every day with peoples personal information.
Drew on jotform.net
Falling sky alert
Anyways, my biggest concern is that government can shutdown a site WITHOUT DUE PROCESS!!!!
Tim Smith on jotform.net
In other words, this might very well kill a company that someone worked hard to get off the ground. And if you have any usergenerated content it might happen to your company too.
mixmax on news.ycombinator.com
We need more information. How can we feel safe and comfortable with the new domain? What can you provide to us so that we know it wont happen to the new domain as well?
Dan Phillips on jotform.net
law enforcement pretty much busted in and took down a domain name without warning. They shot first and asked questions later. Jotform is a legit site,
billpatrianakos on news.ycombinator.com
Crazy
With or without SOPA. With or without due process. Remember when you lived in a free country?
kalmly on ghacks.net
Your customers do not upload content to your servers and we don't download content from your servers. So what content could a federal investigative body be looking into?
WebSavvy on jotform.net
This is as ridiculous as seizing Chrysler for producing the getaway car or shutting down Nike for selling the getaway sneakers.
PeopleRIdiots on ghacks.net
In an example of how annoying yet futile such moves may be, the blog also explains how to access your forms and files by going to JotForm.net rather than JotForm.com.
