Internet services company Cloudflare is going public, and it describes the controversy over banning hateful websites — like 8chan and the Daily Stormer — as a potential risk factor. The company’s S-1 filing reports that objectionable sites could cause “significant adverse political, business, and reputational consequences.”
The filing describes this risk as a double bind for Cloudflare because once an objectionable customer signs up, any moderation call will anger some people. The company “experienced significant negative publicity” for working with the neo-Nazi blog Daily Stormer and the forum 8chan, which it says “served as inspiration” for hate-fueled shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Christchurch, New Zealand. “We are aware of some…