Hunter Moore was dubbed “the most hated man on the internet” for a well-deserved reason- This is someone who set himself up to ruin the lives of many men and women on the internet.
It is no news that when a piece of information lands on the internet, the task of making it inaccessible on the widely accessible platform is close to impossible – you might not know who in the world also accessed it or downloaded it. What if the piece of information in question is your nudes or some form of explicit media about you?
Who is Hunter Moore?
Hunter Moore was born on the 9th of March 1986 in Woodland, California where he grew up. It is alleged he was expelled from the Woodland High School while a teenager. It is unknown the reason for his expulsion.
Hunter Moore was the man who made sure your worst nightmare came true. The then 26-year-old Hunter Moore set up the website, Is anyoneupyet.com in 2010 to post nude images, videos and other explicit media about individuals without their consent.
The platform made it possible for exes or just anyone looking to make your life miserable, share such sensitive information about you without your consent and disregard the implications.
Is Anyone up yet?
Moore initially set up the website as a nightlife site. Some sources claim he changed the purpose of the website after close friends shared explicit images and videos of the women they were sleeping with at the time with him. Another suggested he went on a rampage to ruin the life of his ex-girlfriend who broke up with him by sharing her nudes on his site which consequently led him to ruin those of many others. Nonetheless, there are no reasonable justifications for his actions.
As if that wasn’t enough, he would add the residential address, emails and other personal information about his victims on his site which positioned his victims to other cyber bullies and online sex exploiters.
In moments of desperation to grow his audience, he hired hackers to hack into emails and computers of unsuspecting individuals to steal explicit media from them which he posted on his site.
Implications of ‘Is anyone up yet?’
For a website that received over 30 million views per month, your nudes or any other explicit media appearing there meant bad news. Imagine getting discovered on the site while going for a job, appointment or even when you’re about getting married – things can take a turn for the worst.
He knowingly or unknowingly set up his victims to cyber bullies, other hackers and exploiters. He risked their mental health and lives as some people die from cyberbullying amongst other internet vices.
He received many cease and desist letters but refused to put down the site since he had accepted the moniker of a “life-ruiner”.
Legal battles and conviction
A determined mother who unfortunately found her daughter at the mercy of Hunter Moore began an investigation into the site and Hunter Moore. The website was shut down in 2012 as the legal battle ensued.
The once untouchable man was convicted in 2015 of identity theft and unauthorised access to a computer in 2015. He was sentenced to 2 years and a half in prison and ordered to pay a sum of 2,200 dollars in fine and restitution.
He was released in 2017.
Some however argued that he deserved a longer sentence for all the damage he had done. It is unknown what he had been up to since his release.
Netflix Docuseries “The most hated man on the internet”
Netflix released a docuseries on the 27th of July 2022 about Hunter Moore’s downfall in 2022.
He initially accepted to contribute to the making of the docuseries but withdrew from the project when production began.