July 25th, 2007Free Speech Hosting: 11 Web Hosts That Won’t Dump You at the First Sign of Controversy
The Internet, once the last bastion of truly free speech, is slowly being overrun by lawyers and government officials the world over. Certainly, there are criminals who need to be apprehended for their online exploits, but those of us who are merely exercising our first amendment right should feel protected. Sadly, many mainstream Web hosts will drop your site as soon as you attract the smallest amount of opposition. They are, after all, intimidated by the threat of losing money in a lawsuit. Luckily, there are still a few brave Web hosting companies that cherish free speech and that will stand behind your site. Below, we have listed 11 hosts that won’t dump you at the first sign of controversy.
- 1st-Amendment.Net — As the name suggests, 1st-Amendment.Net is a hosting company devoted to free speech. Not only do they advocate free speech, but free hosting as well. Their basic service is available to the public at no charge and is, by all accounts, a great package. If you are in need of more bandwidth than the basic package offers, paid upgrades are quite reasonable in price. Additional offers from 1st-Amendment.Net include domain registration, custom Web design, online merchant accounts and instant messenger support.
- Computer Tyme — Computer Tyme is a host that embraces controversial sites, particularly ones that feature political dissent. They stand by a mission statement to protect you from government censorship and boorish lawyers. Naturally, the company prohibits illegal content such as child pornography or copyright infringement, but they don’t routinely police any of their hosted sites. Their motto is “No Anti-Bush Site Left Behind”. In other words, Computer Tyme isn’t afraid of “the man” and is actively engaged in the fight for Internet free speech.
- Free Speech Web Hosting — Free Speech Web Hosting, or FSWH, offers “the best hosting solution for insistent people”. If you have a strong opinion and aren’t afraid to share it with the world, then FSWH isn’t afraid to publish your site. Even sites with graphic adult content are welcome, provided that everyone involved is 18 years of age or older. FSWH also stipulates that they will not host any sites containing illegal downloads. Everything else, however, is fair game. This host cares about the first amendment, as evident by the company’s name.
- Project DoD — If you are interested in publishing a Web site on a subversive topic, then it would be best to avoid mainstream hosting services. Project DoD is a small collective of Web professionals who want to help people with alternative sites. From hackers to indie-rock bands, many people have found refuge with this host. The company is run in a democratic fashion, too, as it is a completely member-supported operation with no corporate sponsorship.
- Zensurfrei — Zensurfrei is a free speech host that offers anonymous Web site domains to customers all over the globe. The company was born from one man’s experience with a wrongful arrest in Germany, stemming from his possession of political satire that offended the government. Since that time, Zensurfei has existed to serve as a safe haven for those exercising free speech, particularly in countries like Germany and France, where Web sites are being censored by officials.
- Grex — Grex is a public access computer conferencing company that advocates free speech on the Net. Membership with Grex is free and will allow you to publish your own personal site. Although the available space is limited and will not support multimedia files, CGI, or SSI, this could be the perfect solution if you want to create a simple, static site with no corporate interference. The only thing asked of you, the site owner, is that you log in every few months to keep the account active.
- CrisisHost — CrisisHost is one of the oldest free speech Web hosting companies still in existence. Offering flexible, low-cost hosting packages since 2003, CrisisHost only prohibits illegal activity, such as child pornography or copyright infringement. Other than those stipulations, you are free to publish any kind of content via CrisisHost’s server. Reseller packages are also available from CrisisHost, should you be interested in becoming a Web entrepreneur.
- NearlyFreeSpeech.Net — This unique company offers pay-as-you-go hosting packages. With no contracts or minimum fees, you are only required to pay for the bandwidth you actually use. Also, NearlyFreeSpeech.Net protects your privacy from spammers and the like. As they say, “nobody gets your name from us without a court order”. Not only is your privacy protected from the public, the hosting company has constructed a system whereby you keep your payment details private even from them. All that, plus the assurance that your free speech is protected, makes this host a great choice.
- SecureServerTech — SecureServerTech specializes in high-risk site protection, whereby they guarantee any outside attack on your site will be stopped within seven days or your money back. With low-costs and fast network speeds, the fact that they promise zero censorship is just icing on the cake. As far as the content on your site is legal, then SecureServerTech will not prevent you from publishing it through their server. This is one small Web hosting company with a lot to offer.
- iWeb8 — Whether you would like to create a low-key static site or a graphics-intense dynamic site, iWeb8 has a hosting package for you. Also, if you are interested in becoming a dedicated hosting reseller, this is the right company to turn to. Many free speech, IRC and adult sites are hosted through this company without any interference or censorship. Provided your content is legal, iWeb8 is happy to provide you with Web hosting and dedicated server equipment.
- Beachcomber — A member of the Better Business Bureau, Beachcomber offers Web hosting packages for sites both big and small. Although the company prohibits IRC sites or spamming of any kind, Beachcomber does protect the free speech of any other legal site, including those featuring games. Domain registration and professional design templates are also available from the host, making it a one-stop shop for anyone looking to build a Web presence from scratch.
There is a large online movement to keep the Internet free of censorship and unfair sanctions. While no reputable Web host would knowingly support illegal content, most mainstream hosting companies also shy away from any controversy. Luckily, the few dedicated hosting services that do support free speech are going strong. If you take a strong stance on a subject and fear it may be too subversive for more mainstream Web hosts such as Go Daddy or DreamHost, then consider one of the above companies. They will respect and protect your civil liberties.
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2 Responses to “Free Speech Hosting: 11 Web Hosts That Won’t Dump You at the First Sign of Controversy”
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August 28th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
have not checked all of this list but the location of the hosting is critical - example: iweb8 looked like a decent host until i read their statement that your site must comply with canadian laws. obviously you can forget about first amendment protection if you host in a country with no first amendment (ie outside the USA). the USA also has better laws on fair use/comment/satire/parody and libel than most (all?) other countries. so for free speech sites it’s crazy to host anywhere but the USA
February 8th, 2008 at 3:05 am
Inkscape and the GIMP are one of the worst programs I’ve ever worked with. Okay, it’s open source. But I’ll keep it with more professional programs as Illustrator and Photoshop.