A website created by Texas Right to Life for people to anonymously report alleged violations of the state’s new strict abortion law was inaccessible Saturday after being dropped by internet giant GoDaddy.
GoDaddy rival Epik is now listed on internet records as the registrar hosting prolifewhistleblower.com, although several efforts to access the site from multiple devices and IP addresses were unsuccessful.
The pro-life group had said the website was made to help “enforce the Texas Heartbeat Act,” which allows private citizens to sue others for performing or assisting an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
A spokesperson for GoDaddy, the internet’s largest domain name registrar, said the website violated its terms of service would have 24 hours to find a new home, The New York Times first reported Thursday.
GoDaddy’s terms of service explicitly states that customers are prohibited from using its services in a way that “violates the privacy or publicity rights” of any other person or entity, among other rules.
“You will not collect or harvest (or permit anyone else to collect or harvest) any User Content […] or any non-public or personally identifiable information about another User or any other person or entity without their express prior written consent,” reads another part of GoDaddy’s terms of service agreement.
Texas Right to Life fired back Friday by claiming GoDaddy wants to “cancel” its website and said that it would be up and running again over the weekend.
“Too bad for the mob: We will not be silenced,” the pro-life group said on Twitter. “Anti-Lifers hate us because we’re winning.”
Several former GoDaddy customers moved to Epik after being ejected from the domain giant, including social media platforms Gab and Parler and Oath Keepers militia movement’s official website, among others.
Multiple attempts to load the “whistleblower” website Saturday morning returned various messages stating that access to the site has been limited by its owner
The Washington Times has contacted Epik requesting comment.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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