Controversial site 8chan tries to return under 8kun name

Notorious imageboard 8chan has rebranded itself as 8kun. The site went offline in August following a mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart, and this is the first mention of a new site. 

The official 8chan Twitter account tweeted a video featuring the new logo on Sunday. 8kun -- "kun" is a Japanese suffix used when speaking to teenage boys, while "chan" is for children -- is not online yet. Site admin Ron Watkins tweeted Sunday the site is being tested internally. 

The site was registered with Toronto-based Tucows, one of the largest domain registrars in the world, on Sept. 7.

A spokesperson for Tucows said that this was the first the company had heard of this news and that "they're looking into it."

8chan went offline on Aug. 5 after security platform Cloudflare dropped its support of the site following the Aug. 3 mass shooting in an El Paso Walmart shooting that left 22 people dead. A hate-filled screed from the alleged gunman had been posted to 8chan shortly before the attack. Site owner Jim Watkins said 8chan would stay offline voluntarily and would return after he spoke with the US House Committee on Homeland Security, which requested that he appear in front of Congress. He spoke with the committee on Sept. 5, but the site stayed offline. 

Fredrick Brennan, 8chan's creator, who has since distanced himself from the site, tweeted his thoughts regarding the rebranding, saying "I don't want 8chan to come back."

8chan admins didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Originally posted on Oct. 9 8:40 a.m. PT.
Update, 9:36 a.m. PT: Adds Tucows response. Oct. 13: Adds site admin tweet. 

Watch this: What might happen to 8chan? (The Daily Charge, 8/7/2019)

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