Rotten.com: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Shock website (1996–2012)}} | {{Short description|Shock website (1996–2012)}} | ||
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} | |||
{{Infobox website | {{Infobox website | ||
| name = rotten.com | | name = rotten.com | ||
| logo = | | logo = | ||
| logo_size = <!-- default 250px --> | | logo_size = <!-- default 250px --> | ||
| logo_caption = <!-- or: | logocaption = --> | | logo_caption = <!-- or: | logocaption = --> | ||
| logo_alt = | | logo_alt = | ||
| screenshot = Rotten-screenshot.png | | screenshot = Rotten-screenshot.png | ||
| screenshot_size = <!-- default 300px --> | | screenshot_size = <!-- default 300px --> | ||
| caption = Screenshot from March 18, 2010 | | caption = Screenshot from March 18, 2010 | ||
| screenshot_alt = on March 18, 2010 | | screenshot_alt = Screenshot of the Rotten.com homepage on March 18, 2010 | ||
| collapsible = <!-- set as "on", "y", etc, otherwise omit/leave blank --> | | collapsible = <!-- set as "on", "y", etc, otherwise omit/leave blank --> | ||
| collapsetext = <!-- collapsible area's heading (default "Screenshot"); omit/leave blank if collapsible not set --> | | collapsetext = <!-- collapsible area's heading (default "Screenshot"); omit/leave blank if collapsible not set --> | ||
| commercial = No{{dubious|date=October 2024}} | | commercial = No{{dubious|date=October 2024}} | ||
| type = [[Shock site]] | | type = [[Shock site]] | ||
| registration = No | | registration = No | ||
| language = English | | language = English | ||
| num_users = | | num_users = | ||
| content_license = <!-- or: | content_licence = --> | | content_license = <!-- or: | content_licence = --> | ||
| owner = <!-- or: | owners = --> | | owner = <!-- or: | owners = --> | ||
| author = <!-- or: creator / authors / creators --> | | author = <!-- or: creator / authors / creators --> | ||
| editor = <!-- or: | editors = --> | | editor = <!-- or: | editors = --> | ||
| launch_date = 1996 | | launch_date = 1996 | ||
| revenue = | | revenue = | ||
| current_status = Defunct | | current_status = Defunct | ||
| footnotes = | | footnotes = | ||
| background = <!-- for collapsetext heading; default grey (gainsboro) --> | | background = <!-- for collapsetext heading; default grey (gainsboro) --> | ||
| programming_language = | | programming_language = | ||
}} | }} | ||
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Rotten.com had a sparse layout; no [[thumbnail image]]s were present next to links, and the links had one-line descriptions couched in [[morbid humor]], often carrying no hints at their content. Content consisted of user-submitted images, with developers rarely posting content themselves. Though submissions were marked as "real", often they were misattributed; in one instance, a file submitted as "motorcycle.jpg" was given the description of depicting a [[Motorcycle crash|motorbike crash]] but the developers admitted it was probably an attempted [[shotgun]] [[suicide]].<ref name="FAQ @ rotten dot com"/> | Rotten.com had a sparse layout; no [[thumbnail image]]s were present next to links, and the links had one-line descriptions couched in [[morbid humor]], often carrying no hints at their content. Content consisted of user-submitted images, with developers rarely posting content themselves. Though submissions were marked as "real", often they were misattributed; in one instance, a file submitted as "motorcycle.jpg" was given the description of depicting a [[Motorcycle crash|motorbike crash]] but the developers admitted it was probably an attempted [[shotgun]] [[suicide]].<ref name="FAQ @ rotten dot com"/> | ||
Rotten.com received an alleged image of medical personnel recovering [[Princess Diana]]'s body [[Death of Diana, Princess of Wales|from a car crash]], though this was later confirmed as fake. However, due to wide interest in the crash, the image was posted anyway, resulting in a large traffic spike.<ref>{{cite web |title=diana fallout @ rotten dot com |url=http://www.rotten.com/about/press.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317050619/http://www.rotten.com/about/press.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 March 2015 |access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> The website was also one of the first to publish images of the [[September 11 attacks|September 11]] jumpers from the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|Twin Towers]], under the title "Swan Dive".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Awful Forums - the World Trade Center is on fire |url=http://www.truegamer.net/SA_911/911%20SATHREAD/wtc16.html |website=truegamer.net |access-date=26 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007152712/http://www.truegamer.net/SA_911/911%20SATHREAD/wtc16.html |archive-date=7 October 2019 |url-status=live | Rotten.com received an alleged image of medical personnel recovering [[Princess Diana]]'s body [[Death of Diana, Princess of Wales|from a car crash]], though this was later confirmed as fake. However, due to wide interest in the crash, the image was posted anyway, resulting in a large traffic spike.<ref>{{cite web |title=diana fallout @ rotten dot com |url=http://www.rotten.com/about/press.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317050619/http://www.rotten.com/about/press.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 March 2015 |access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> The website was also one of the first to publish images of the [[September 11 attacks|September 11]] jumpers from the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|Twin Towers]], under the title "Swan Dive".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Awful Forums - the World Trade Center is on fire |url=http://www.truegamer.net/SA_911/911%20SATHREAD/wtc16.html |website=truegamer.net |access-date=26 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007152712/http://www.truegamer.net/SA_911/911%20SATHREAD/wtc16.html |archive-date=7 October 2019 |url-status=live |quote=Soylent from Rotten.Com has posted a series called 'Swan Dive.' These are people jumping from the burning World Trade Center, floor 60 and above. I have seen Stile's kitten video. I have seen videos of castrations. I have seen 'Train Girl.' And these three blurry, still photographs are the most horrible things I've ever witnessed. Soylent also claims that the fourth airliner, which crashed in rural Pennsylvania, was shot down by a military jet. That, so far, is unconfirmed by the BBC.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Falling Man |first=Tom |last=Junod |date=Sep 9, 2016 |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a48031/the-falling-man-tom-junod/ |website=esquire.com |access-date=26 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026023204/https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a48031/the-falling-man-tom-junod/ |archive-date=26 October 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
The site also hosted videos of some these graphic events, including | The site also hosted videos of some of these graphic events, including footage from [[Mobile phone|cell phones]], [[dashcam]]s, forensic and autopsy cameras, [[Closed-circuit television|CCTV]], and film cameras.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}} | ||
Rotten.com also hosted [[autopsy]] videos | Rotten.com also hosted [[autopsy]] videos and [[Forensic photography|forensic]] case and crime scene [[video]]s taken by coroners and forensic services worldwide. Users could submit material via email or request that developers post images or videos that were not publicly available. Rotten.com was one of the earliest adult/graphic content websites to feature pornography (both fake and real), violence, gore, decomposition, and the promotion of death and morbid curiosity. | ||
==Legal disputes== | == Legal disputes == | ||
Rotten.com was threatened with many lawsuits over the years, mostly in the form of [[cease and desist]] notices. These ranged from serious matters, such as requests to remove pictures of dead relatives | Rotten.com was threatened with many lawsuits over the years, mostly in the form of [[cease and desist]] notices. These ranged from serious matters, such as requests to remove pictures of dead relatives, to [[Burlington Coat Factory]] demanding the removal of 'trenchcoat.org', a domain acquired by Rotten.com as a [[Trenchcoat Mafia]] reference, which merely linked to Burlington Coat Factory's homepage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rotten.com/legal/ |title=Rotten.com legal |access-date=2006-01-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060705064348/http://www.rotten.com/legal/ |archive-date=2006-07-05}}</ref> | ||
On June 24, 2005, [[Alberto Gonzales]], [[US Attorney General | On June 24, 2005, [[Alberto Gonzales]], then [[US Attorney General]], ordered the removal of the "Fuck of the Month" section along with content from several ancillary sites.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jardin |first=Xeni |date=2005-06-22 |title=Rotten.com: our gapingmaw.com and other sites shut in anticipation of 2257 |url=https://boingboing.net/2005/06/22/rottencom-our-gaping.html |access-date=2021-12-14 |website=Boing Boing |language=en-US}}</ref> In response, the site's moderator posted a removal notice criticizing supporters of both Gonzales and the [[George W. Bush administration]] for enabling censorship.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=2005-06-25 |title=The Gaping Maw - rotten.com Editorial |url=http://www.gapingmaw.com/ |access-date=2021-12-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050625014303/http://www.gapingmaw.com/ |archive-date=25 June 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
== Rotten Library == | == Rotten Library == | ||
Revision as of 12:10, 6 June 2025
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Rotten.com was an American video and photographic sharing shock site, promoting morbid curiosity and death, active from 1996 to 2012, known for hosting gruesome and bloody images and videos of blood and gore, death and decomposition, and graphic violence. Founded in 1996, it was run by a developer known as Soylent Communications.[1] Site updates slowed in 2009, with the final update in February 2012.[2] The website's front page was last archived in February 2018.[3]
History
In late 1996, Soylent wrote a program that identified unregistered Internet domain names consisting of one word with a corresponding dictionary entry. "Rotten" was one of the unclaimed words, and Soylent went on to register Rotten.com in the same year.[4] Rotten.com presented itself as a bastion of online free speech, in an era when censorship rules in some countries had begun to restrict internet access.[2]
Rotten.com had a sparse layout; no thumbnail images were present next to links, and the links had one-line descriptions couched in morbid humor, often carrying no hints at their content. Content consisted of user-submitted images, with developers rarely posting content themselves. Though submissions were marked as "real", often they were misattributed; in one instance, a file submitted as "motorcycle.jpg" was given the description of depicting a motorbike crash but the developers admitted it was probably an attempted shotgun suicide.[4]
Rotten.com received an alleged image of medical personnel recovering Princess Diana's body from a car crash, though this was later confirmed as fake. However, due to wide interest in the crash, the image was posted anyway, resulting in a large traffic spike.[5] The website was also one of the first to publish images of the September 11 jumpers from the Twin Towers, under the title "Swan Dive".[6][7]
The site also hosted videos of some of these graphic events, including footage from cell phones, dashcams, forensic and autopsy cameras, CCTV, and film cameras.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Rotten.com also hosted autopsy videos and forensic case and crime scene videos taken by coroners and forensic services worldwide. Users could submit material via email or request that developers post images or videos that were not publicly available. Rotten.com was one of the earliest adult/graphic content websites to feature pornography (both fake and real), violence, gore, decomposition, and the promotion of death and morbid curiosity.
Legal disputes
Rotten.com was threatened with many lawsuits over the years, mostly in the form of cease and desist notices. These ranged from serious matters, such as requests to remove pictures of dead relatives, to Burlington Coat Factory demanding the removal of 'trenchcoat.org', a domain acquired by Rotten.com as a Trenchcoat Mafia reference, which merely linked to Burlington Coat Factory's homepage.[8]
On June 24, 2005, Alberto Gonzales, then US Attorney General, ordered the removal of the "Fuck of the Month" section along with content from several ancillary sites.[9] In response, the site's moderator posted a removal notice criticizing supporters of both Gonzales and the George W. Bush administration for enabling censorship.[10]
Rotten Library
In 2003, The Rotten Library was created as an encyclopedia to supplement the website.[11] The Library contained hundreds of articles under 17 different headings, including culture, art, medicine, crime, travel, and the occult. Articles contained detailed research, timelines, and occasionally included previously unseen images of various well-known events. The headings inside of entries are humorous in nature, with a description of the subject (for example, a medical condition) in an informal and often insulting tone. In the entry dedicated to eating disorders, the heading above the section for bulimia is titled "Betty Bulimia."[12]
Ancillary sites
The Daily Rotten
In late 1999, The Daily Rotten was started by Thomas E. Dell,[13] which published news stories on a daily basis, focusing mostly on terrorism, murder, suicide, abuse and excrement. Daily Rotten, also known as Rotten News, is driven by user submissions, which are edited by a self-described "Rotten Staff Duder". This also features comments for each one of the articles, posted by the registered members; they usually bring similar histories, gruesome and graphic images of real gore and dead bodies. They refer to themselves as "rotteneers", a satirical reference to Walt Disney's Mouseketeers, and/or "rottentots".
Boners.com
Rotten.com launched Boners.com in response to viewers who wanted a daily pictures page alongside the Daily Rotten newsboard.[14] The word "boner" suggests an embarrassing mistake or a male organ in a state of arousal. The images typically consisted of amusing public signs, phallic imagery, and members of the public in embarrassing situations.
The Gaping Maw
In 2000, The Gaping Maw – an editorial/commentary archive – was founded. Most of the articles were written by cartoonist Tristan Farnon under the alias "Spigot" (from Leisure Town) or by other webmasters. The pages contained news, satire, and commentary on modern society. Along with the Rotten Library, this improved Rotten.com's standing in many communities since it introduced a humane and intellectual aspect to the website. On June 22, 2005, The Gaping Maw went dark to comply with new government bookkeeping requirements regarding the distribution of pornography, specifically governmental age-verification of models, under 18 U.S.C. § 2257. All articles were taken down, and the site's title page was replaced with a statement lamenting the passage of the laws, headed by the banner, "CENSORED BY US GOVERNMENT!".[10] In January 2006, The Gaping Maw came back online with some articles heavily edited.
Rotten Dead Pool
In November 2003, the Rotten Dead Pool was launched.[15] The Dead Pool was a game in which players picked ten people they believed would die over the course of the next 12 months. A point was awarded to a player for each of their correct picks. A pick did not count as correct if the pick was executed or murdered, or died some other way, after the 12 months had passed.
NNDB
In mid-2002, Rotten.com launched NNDB, an online database. NNDB is a steadily-updated website that contained information about thousands of notable people. The news section ceased updating on January 16, 2016,[16] and the celebrity deaths section last updated on December 31, 2021.[17] The website itself is still live.
Sports Dignity
Sports Dignity was a gallery of pictures showing embarrassing or NSFW incidents in sports games and tournaments.[18]
Publications
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". (pp. 194–204 consists of the Rotten Library entry for John Ashcroft)
References
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- ↑ rottenlibrary.net
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- ↑ Dead Pool Script error: No such module "webarchive".
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External links
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- Original Source Code/Mirror