BoyLover.net

BoyLover.net, commonly abbreviated as BLN or bl.net, was one of the world's largest online boylover communities. The site was created by LostBoy and launched on May 1, 2002. It was completely re-designed later that year and launched again on December 1, 2002. Within six months it had attained a membership of over 1200, rising to 3000 a year after the initial opening, and has long since passed the 20,000-member mark. The bulletin board closed down in 2010, after an investigation involving illegal activity of Lostboy, the board owner. At the time of it's closing it had over 70,000 members.

In July 2003 BoyLover.net spawned a companion website, BoyLoverLinks.net, which catalogs and presents a diverse collection of links of interest to boylovers.

Features

Though its main language is English, BoyLover.net hosts a large number of forums in numerous languages through a uniform interface. Languages ranging from Swedish to Hungarian are represented in designated rooms, as are special topics like creative pursuits and games. A popular forum offers publication of private photographs of boys. The youth who participate have their own discussion room, in which adults are not allowed to participate.

Discussion is served by the Ultimate Bulletin Board interface, which serves threads "flat" (i.e. without subthreads) and automatically brings recently discussed topics to the top of each index. Site design is heavily featured by large, illustrative photographs, strong use of bright colors, and a multitude of icons. Color scheme is occasionally transformed completely, in recognition of significant or tragic events, to a monochromatic theme.

Members are categorized according to their post count, with a member starting as "New Kid" and eventually becoming "Elder Brother" at 5000 posts. While this makes it simple to tell oldtimers from newbies, it often leads to members posting playfully in order to increase their post count, and hence their status.

Site management is highly organized, and a team of Buddies are responsible for welcoming and guiding new members of the community. Highly respected members may be named Mentors. To date only one member, Friend, has been named Mentor.

Security

BoyLover.net's rules and guidelines are intended to safeguard the site's legality according to United States law. A complex, three-tiered organization of nearly 100 volunteers serves users of the site and enforces site policy.

According to site administrators, BoyLover.net's servers were recently seized by law enforcement authorities. The implications of this event (and whether the seizure actually took place) is in dispute.

Site administrators have been criticized for taking a cavalier attitude toward security problems. Furthermore, some portals have warned against BoyLover.net on grounds that the site allows off-site image links, making IP harvesting relatively simple. Due to this, visitors are advised to turn off images when loading BoyLover.net forums if they are worried about their surfing habits being analyzed by unknown and potentially hostile parties.

Mission statement

The following is taken from BoyLover.net's home page:

BoyLover.net provides a safe, supportive, and legal environment where boylovers, boys, and others interested in boylove can share thoughts, opinions, feelings, and experiences. Its forums are online meeting places where questions, advice, and debate take place freely in an atmosphere of comfort and mutual respect, and where educational material and information about boylove can be shared.

Webmaster arrested

After a three year long law enforcement investigation, Boylover.net webmaster was arrested in his native Netherlands, over a hundred board members were arrested by the police worldwide for being involved in off the board activities related to child sex. According to an USAToday article (link below), after initial contact on the discussion board members would use e-mail and other electronic channels to share child pornography images and videos.

The board, which had up to 70.000 members with only a few of them allegedly taking part in illegal activities, ceased to exist in 2010.

External links

• International pedophile ring smashed
• Discussion of server downtime from the December 2004 BoyChat Digest.