Revenge Pornster Craig Brittain Issues DMCA Notices Demanding Google Delist Entire Websites, Including Wikipedia

from the Craig-has-apparently-been-stockpiling-stupid dept

Former revenge porn site operator/lawyer impersonator Craig Brittain is once again engaged in some DMCA abuse. A couple of years ago, Brittain issued bogus DMCA notices in hopes of whitewashing his past. Along with posts at Popehat, Vice, Huffington Post, Ars Technica, and Reddit, Brittain asked Google to delist the FTC's press release about its settlement with Brittain over his revenge porn misdeeds.

It didn't work, obviously. A new set of stories highlighting Brittain's sordid past swiftly filled up any gaps in the revenge porn purveyor's vanity Google searches.

Popehat reports Brittain has apparently learned nothing from his last Streisanding. Brittain is once again issuing bogus takedown notices -- this time on behalf of his alt-right ride-sharing pipe dream, Dryvyng. (Pronounced "dryheaving.")

Here's a bit more background on that particular "business venture" from Ken White:

More recently, Craig has embarked on two simultaneous paths: the path of a social critic and aspiring pseudo-journalist seeking investors to back his anarcho-capitalist critique of society, and aspiring CEO of Uber competitor "Dryvyng," a business devoted to the proposition that if you'd like a ride you ought to order one from a pathological revenge porn extortionist with a searing hatred of women and humanity in general. Craigbo has sought to raise capital for Dryvyng through disturbed and bigoted tirades at venture capitalists. Perhaps prolonged exposure to MRA rhetoric led him to believe that negging was a viable strategy for developing startup capital. Conclusion: nah, bro. Nah.

It's this "company" that Craig has issued the DMCA notices for. Apparently, he's none too thrilled at the lack of positive press for his hypothetical ride-sharing startup and has once again asked Google to delist all sorts of things he has no business asking to be delisted. Dean Jones of Shooting the Messenger is the person who originally discovered a handful of notices sent by "Dryvyng," all of which feature petulant commentary not normally found in legal paperwork.

Here's Brittain's attempt to nuke a Business Insider story about threats he made to VCs who turned down his offer to throw their money down a hole.

Business Insider is fake news and the "investor" was actually a paid internet troll. Internet trolls (who have no money to invest) deserve to get cussed out. Please remove this libelous, slanderous article about my company immediately.

Here's the note accompanying his request for the delisting of a Fusion story about Dryvyng:

Fake, slanderous, libelous article defaming me and my company and abusing copyrighted material. Fusion is a fake news website run by left-wing social justice warriors with the aim of defaming conservatives and libertarians.

Brittain doubled up on both of those requests by sending two more notices demanding the entire sites be delisted. But it really doesn't get any better/sadder than this one, targeting a Wikipedia article:

Slanderous, libelous and deliberately misleading Wikipedia entry designed to defame and libel me and my company. Please permanently remove this page (and all of Wikipedia itself, which is a left-wing hive for slander and libel) from Google.

In this case, the DMCA notice targets nothing about Dryvyng, but instead the site's article about Brittain's revenge porn site.

In every case, the accusation is internet libelslander, which can't be touched by DMCA notices. The reason is in the name of the notice itself: Digital Millennium COPYRIGHT Act. But when you're angry at the internet, any fill-in-the-blank form will do. Even if Brittain had used the proper paperwork, Google would be under no obligation to delist the alleged slander, thanks to Section 230 of the CDA.

It's no surprise Brittain's attempt to pass himself off as David Blade, Esq. went so badly. He obviously has zero legal acumen. If you're going to beclown yourself with bogus notices, at least try to do so somewhat competently. Sure, the outcome won't change, but at least you won't look like even more of an idiot than you already do.

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Filed Under: censorship, craig brittain, dmca, revenge porn, takedowns


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  • icon
    That One Guy (profile), 7 Apr 2017 @ 12:11pm

    Hardly surprising, yet satisfying nonetheless

    One of the great disappointments brought about by the transition between childhood and adulthood is finding out that 'growing older' does not always equate to 'growing up'.

    At times however it can be most entertaining to see prime examples of this, as in this case where all the world gets to marvel at watching a supposed adult throw an entire string of tantrums because the world isn't being as 'nice' to him as he seems to think he's owed.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    discordian_eris (profile), 7 Apr 2017 @ 2:00pm

    He should have hired Charles Carreon to write all this for him. Not sure that would have made him look LESS like an idiot though.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    That Anonymous Coward (profile), 7 Apr 2017 @ 2:09pm

    14 minutes 55 seconds...
    He keeps trying things to reset that clock, unable to understand no one really cares about him.

    Its hard to take someone serious you've seen naked accepting all offers to perform.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2017 @ 2:15pm

    You have to admire Brittain for one thing.

    He does manage to kick his own ass in pursuit of kicking other peoples'.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    JoeCool (profile), 7 Apr 2017 @ 2:27pm

    We have a winner!

    this time on behalf of his alt-right ride-sharing pipe dream, Dryvyng. (Pronounced "dryheaving.")

    This should win the funny comment of the week. :)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2017 @ 3:02pm

    I do believe we have just unmasked at least one of the more annoying AC's.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    silverknight (profile), 7 Apr 2017 @ 3:07pm

    [Business Insider is fake news and the "investor"
    Fake, slanderous, libelous article defaming me and my company
    Please permanently remove this page (and all of Wikipedia itself, which is a left-wing hive for slander and libel]

    ... sounds like someone else whose been much in the news of late.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    wallyb132 (profile), 7 Apr 2017 @ 3:21pm

    Should have be banned from using computers

    Gov.gov should charge him with one of the many computer related statutes i'm sure he's violated at some point in time and restrict or ban altogether, his use of computers for 10, 20, 30 or 100 years or so...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Cowardly Lion, 7 Apr 2017 @ 4:20pm

    Let's make children work 18 hours a day cleaning rich peoples chimneys...

    ... for a bowl of gruel

    This apology for a human being actually said:

    "The fastest solution to regulatory interference is open defiance".

    In a sane land, anyone who makes a statement like that should be barred from operating a business.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      discordian_eris (profile), 7 Apr 2017 @ 5:17pm

      Re: Let's make children work 18 hours a day cleaning rich peoples chimneys...

      "In a sane land, anyone who makes a statement like that..."

      In this insane land, anyone who makes a statement like that could be next up for the Supreme Court! Sweet Goddess, imagine the masterpieces of legal scholarship that would flow like honeyed wine.*

      *3-1 odds he would rule the first amendment unconstitutional. OK, you're right, make it 12-1.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2017 @ 10:10pm

    "Only pirates and Google would abuse the DMCA," screamed My_Name_Here. Bah! Humbug!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2017 @ 3:47pm

    It's really a shame more prosecutors aren't really interested in blatant perjury from bogus DMCA claims. It's like Congress actually knew what they were doing when they they drafted this legislation. Gee... cuz nearly all of them are lawyers or something?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Lady Gwyneth (profile), 10 Apr 2017 @ 6:27am

    It's funny that he'd wage a lawsuit against google if he wanted his past to be forgotten when many more people (like me) wouldn't have known about him had he not decided to sue google a second time.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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