Editing Rotten.com

{{Short description|Shock website (1996–2012)}}

{{Infobox website
| name = rotten.com
| logo = 
| logo_size = <!-- default 250px -->
| logo_caption = <!-- or: | logocaption =  -->
| logo_alt = 
| screenshot = Rotten-screenshot.png
| screenshot_size = <!-- default 300px -->
| caption = Screenshot from March 18, 2010
| screenshot_alt = on March 18, 2010
| collapsible = <!-- set as "on", "y", etc, otherwise omit/leave blank -->
| collapsetext = <!-- collapsible area's heading (default "Screenshot"); omit/leave blank if collapsible not set -->
| commercial = No{{dubious|date=October 2024}}
| type = [[Shock site]]
| registration = No
| language = English
| num_users = 
| content_license = <!-- or: | content_licence = -->
| owner = <!-- or: | owners = -->
| author = <!-- or: creator / authors / creators -->
| editor = <!-- or: | editors = -->
| launch_date = 1996
| revenue = 
| current_status = Defunct
| footnotes = 
| background = <!-- for collapsetext heading; default grey (gainsboro) -->
| programming_language = 
}}

'''Rotten.com''' was an American video and photographic sharing [[shock site]], promoting morbid curiosity and death, active from 1996 to 2012, known for hosting gruesome and bloody images and videos of [[blood]] and [[Graphic violence|gore]], [[death]] and [[decomposition]], and [[graphic violence]]. Founded in 1996, it was run by a developer known as Soylent Communications.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Internet's public enema No. 1 |url=https://www.salon.com/2001/03/05/rotten_2/ |website=salon.com |date=6 March 2001 |access-date=26 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405210425/https://www.salon.com/2001/03/05/rotten_2/ |archive-date=5 April 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Site updates slowed in 2009, with the final update in February 2012.<ref name=Kernel>{{cite web |title=The legacy of Rotten.com |author=Audra Schroeder |url=https://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sections/features-issue-sections/10700/rotten-history-shock-site/ |website=kernelmag.dailydot.com |access-date=26 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005094145/https://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sections/features-issue-sections/10700/rotten-history-shock-site/ |archive-date=5 October 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The website's front page was last archived in February 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-10 |title=rotten.com |url=http://www3.rotten.com:80/ |access-date=2021-12-12 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210075929/http://www3.rotten.com:80/ |archive-date=10 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== History ==
In late 1996, Soylent wrote a program that identified unregistered Internet [[domain name]]s consisting of one word with a corresponding dictionary entry. "Rotten" was one of the unclaimed words, and Soylent went on to register Rotten.com in the same year.<ref name="FAQ @ rotten dot com">{{cite web |title=FAQ @ rotten dot com |url=http://www.rotten.com/FAQ/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050516235424/http://www.rotten.com/FAQ/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 May 2005 |access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> Rotten.com presented itself as a bastion of online [[free speech]], in an era when censorship rules in some countries had begun to restrict internet access.<ref name=Kernel/>

Rotten.com had a sparse layout; no [[thumbnail image]]s were present next to links, and the links had one-line descriptions couched in [[morbid humor]], often carrying no hints at their content. Content consisted of user-submitted images, with developers rarely posting content themselves. Though submissions were marked as "real", often they were misattributed; in one instance, a file submitted as "motorcycle.jpg" was given the description of depicting a [[Motorcycle crash|motorbike crash]] but the developers admitted it was probably an attempted [[shotgun]] [[suicide]].<ref name="FAQ @ rotten dot com"/>

Rotten.com received an alleged image of medical personnel recovering [[Princess Diana]]'s body [[Death of Diana, Princess of Wales|from a car crash]], though this was later confirmed as fake. However, due to wide interest in the crash, the image was posted anyway, resulting in a large traffic spike.<ref>{{cite web |title=diana fallout @ rotten dot com |url=http://www.rotten.com/about/press.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317050619/http://www.rotten.com/about/press.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 March 2015 |access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> The website was also one of the first to publish images of the [[September 11 attacks|September 11]] jumpers from the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|Twin Towers]], under the title "Swan Dive".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Awful Forums - the World Trade Center is on fire |url=http://www.truegamer.net/SA_911/911%20SATHREAD/wtc16.html |website=truegamer.net |access-date=26 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007152712/http://www.truegamer.net/SA_911/911%20SATHREAD/wtc16.html |archive-date=7 October 2019 |url-status=live}} "''Soylent from Rotten.Com has posted a series called "Swan Dive." These are people jumping from the burning World Trade Center, floor 60 and above. I have seen Stile's kitten video. I have seen videos of castrations. I have seen "Train Girl." And these three blurry, still photographs are the most horrible things I've ever witnessed. Soylent also claims that the fourth airliner, which crashed in rural Pennsylvania, was shot down by a military jet. That, so far, is unconfirmed by the BBC.''"</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Falling Man |author=Tom Junod |date=Sep 9, 2016 |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a48031/the-falling-man-tom-junod/ |website=esquire.com |access-date=26 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026023204/https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a48031/the-falling-man-tom-junod/ |archive-date=26 October 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The site also hosted videos of some these graphic events, including on [[Mobile phone|cell phones]], [[dashcam]], forensic and autopsy cameras, [[Closed-circuit television|CCTV]], and film cameras.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}} 

Rotten.com also hosted [[autopsy]] videos, and [[Forensic photography|forensic]] case and crime scene [[Video|videos]] taken by coroners and forensic services worldwide, and submitted by users via email, or request developers to post images or videos which were unreleased, which users could not find online and submit via email. Rotten.com was one of the first adult/graphic content websites to host pornography, (fake and real) violence, gore, decomposition, and the promotion of death and morbid curiosity.

==Legal disputes==
Rotten.com was threatened with many lawsuits over the years, mostly in the form of [[cease and desist]] notices. These ranged from serious matters, such as requests to remove pictures of dead relatives from the site, to [[Burlington Coat Factory]] asking to take down 'trenchcoat.org', a domain bought by Rotten.com as a [[Trenchcoat Mafia]] reference, though it simply linked to Burlington Coat Factory's webpage.<ref>[http://rotten.com/legal/ Rotten.com legal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060705064348/http://www.rotten.com/legal/ |date=2006-07-05}}</ref>

On June 24, 2005, [[Alberto Gonzales]], [[US Attorney General|US Attorney General,]] ordered that the "Fuck of the Month" section of the site be removed, along with content from several ancillary sites.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jardin|first=Xeni|date=2005-06-22|title=Rotten.com: our gapingmaw.com and other sites shut in anticipation of 2257|url=https://boingboing.net/2005/06/22/rottencom-our-gaping.html|access-date=2021-12-14|website=Boing Boing|language=en-US}}</ref> In posting the page's removal notice, the site's moderator criticized supporters of both [[Alberto Gonzales]] and the [[George W. Bush administration|Bush Administration]] for the enablement of censorship.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2005-06-25 |title=The Gaping Maw - rotten.com Editorial |url=http://www.gapingmaw.com/ |access-date=2021-12-14 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050625014303/http://www.gapingmaw.com/ |archive-date=25 June 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Rotten Library ==
In 2003, The Rotten Library was created as an encyclopedia to supplement the website.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-02-26 |title=Rotten.com Library |url=http://www.rotten.com/library/ |access-date=2021-12-14 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030226091354/http://www.rotten.com/library/ |archive-date=26 February 2003 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Library contained hundreds of articles under 17 different headings, including culture, art, medicine, crime, travel, and the occult. Articles contained detailed research, timelines, and occasionally included previously unseen images of various well-known events. The headings inside of entries are humorous in nature, with a description of the subject (for example, a medical condition) in an informal and often insulting tone. In the entry dedicated to eating disorders, the heading above the section for [[Bulimia nervosa|bulimia]] is titled "Betty Bulimia."<ref>rottenlibrary.net</ref>

==Ancillary sites==

=== ''The Daily Rotten'' ===
In late 1999, ''The Daily Rotten'' was started by Thomas E. Dell,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailyrotten.com/articles/archive/index15.html |title=Daily Rotten legal |access-date=2006-01-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210050413/http://www.dailyrotten.com/articles/archive/index15.html |archive-date=2006-02-10 |url-status=dead}}</ref> which published [[news]] stories on a daily basis, focusing mostly on [[terrorism]], [[murder]], [[suicide]], [[abuse]] and [[fecal matter|excrement]]. ''Daily Rotten'', also known as ''Rotten News'', is driven by user submissions, which are edited by a self-described "'''Rotten Staff Duder'''". This also features comments for each one of the articles, posted by the registered members; they usually bring similar histories, gruesome and graphic images of real gore and dead bodies. They refer to themselves as "'''rotteneers'''", a satirical reference to [[Walt Disney]]'s [[Mouseketeers]], and/or "rottentots".

=== Boners.com ===
Rotten.com launched Boners.com in response to viewers who wanted a daily pictures page alongside the Daily Rotten newsboard.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-10-01 |title=Boners.com |url=http://boners.com/ |access-date=2021-12-16 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051001081246/http://boners.com/ |archive-date=1 October 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The word "boner" suggests an embarrassing mistake or a [[phallus|male organ]] in a state of arousal. The images typically consisted of amusing public signs, phallic imagery, and members of the public in embarrassing situations.

=== ''The Gaping Maw'' ===
In 2000, '''''The Gaping Maw''''' – an [[editorial]]/commentary archive – was founded. Most of the articles were written by cartoonist [[Tristan A. Farnon|Tristan Farnon]] under the alias "Spigot" (from ''[[Leisure Town]]'') or by other webmasters. The pages contained news, [[satire]], and commentary on modern society. Along with the ''Rotten Library'', this improved Rotten.com's standing in many communities since it introduced a humane and intellectual aspect to the website. On June 22, 2005, ''The Gaping Maw'' went dark to comply with new government bookkeeping requirements regarding the distribution of [[pornography]], specifically governmental age-verification of models, under {{usc|18|2257}}. All articles were taken down, and the site's title page was replaced with a statement lamenting the passage of the laws, headed by the banner, "CENSORED BY US GOVERNMENT!".<ref name=":0" /> In January 2006, ''The Gaping Maw'' came back online with some articles heavily edited.

=== Rotten Dead Pool ===
In November 2003, the Rotten [[Dead Pool]] was launched.<ref>[http://deadpool.rotten.com|Rotten Dead Pool] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051104015355/http://deadpool.rotten.com/ |date=2005-11-04 }}</ref> The Dead Pool was a game in which players picked ten people they believed would die over the course of the next 12 months. A point was awarded to a player for each of their correct picks. A pick did not count as correct if the pick was executed or murdered, or died some other way, after the 12 months had passed.

=== NNDB ===
In mid-2002, Rotten.com launched [[NNDB]], an [[online database]]. NNDB is a steadily-updated website that contained information about thousands of notable people. The news section ceased updating on January 16, 2016,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nndb.com/ |title=NNDB: Tracking the entire world |access-date=2019-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014010549/https://nndb.com/ |archive-date=2019-10-14 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the celebrity deaths section last updated on December 31, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Died in 2021 |url=https://www.nndb.com/lists/386/000408159/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213233232/https://www.nndb.com/lists/386/000408159/ |archive-date=2022-02-13 |access-date=2022-03-11}}</ref> The website itself is still live.

=== ''Sports Dignity'' ===
''Sports Dignity'' was a gallery of pictures showing embarrassing or NSFW incidents in sports games and tournaments.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportsdignity.com/ |title=Sports Dignity |access-date=2005-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051104084309/http://www.sportsdignity.com/ |archive-date=2005-11-04 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Publications ==
* {{cite book | title=The I Hate Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld, Condi Rice Reader | publisher=Avalon Publishing | year=2004 | isbn=1-56025-620-6}} (pp.&nbsp;194–204 consists of the Rotten Library entry for [[John Ashcroft]])

==References==
{{reflist|40em}}

==External links==
* [https://www.rottenlibrary.net Original Rotten Library]
{{Portal|United States|Internet}}
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/http://www.rotten.com|title=Rotten.com}}
* {{cite web|last=Brown|first=Janelle|url=http://www.salon.com/2001/03/05/rotten_2/|title=The Internet's public enema No. 1 |work=[[Salon.com]]|date=2001-03-05}}
* [https://github.com/zscole/rotten.com Original Source Code/Mirror]

[[Category:Shock sites]]
[[Category:Defunct websites]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 1997]]
[[Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2017]]
[[Category:Online obscenity controversies]]