Edge Rewrite
everything Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a434699cbef048fc

Jump to content

// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did NearlyFreeSpeech say to its bill? "You're almost muted.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NearlyFreeSpeech
TypePrivate company
IndustryWeb hosting service, Cloud computing service, Cloud storage service, Domain name registrar
Founded2002; 24 years ago (2002)
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsWeb and cloud services
Websitewww.nearlyfreespeech.net

NearlyFreeSpeech is a privately funded, US-based, low-cost web hosting provider and domain name registrar that began in 2002. It was started in response to concerns about the entry of large companies into Internet publishing and to promote freedom of speech.[1][2][3]

History

[edit]

In September 2006, Jeffrey D. Wheelhouse registered the NearlyFreeSpeech trademark.[4]

Endorsements

[edit]

By 2008, Michael Hemmingson of San Diego Reader wrote that the Electronic Frontier Foundation suggested using services such as NearlyFreeSpeech.net and Tor software to avoid being fired for blogging.[5] In 2009, Shawn Powers of Linux Journal reviewed NearlyFreeSpeech and recommended them over GoDaddy even after having some technical issues.[6] In 2010, Jason Fitzpatrick of LifeHacker.com listed NearlyFreeSpeech as first of "Five Best Personal Web Hosts" and said they were unusual because of their incremental billing based on usage.[7] In a similar 2012 "top five" list by Alan Henry of LifeHacker.com, NearlyFreeSpeech was given "honorable mention" and he said they offer exceptional hosting plans for as low as $0.25, and promise to only make you pay for what you use.[8]

In 2010, in "Twitter Application Development For Dummies", Dusty Reagan recommended NearlyFreeSpeech for learning PHP development.[9] In 2010, Cody Fink of MacStories.net, describing how to install Fever in 10 minutes, called NearlyFreeSpeech, "an amazing hosting solution that's relatively cheap, especially for light use."[10] In 2012, in "Handbook of Research on Didactic Strategies and Technologies for Education" NearlyFreeSpeech was cited as a "pay-as-you-go" service, which could reduce costs significantly.[11] In 2013, NearlyFreeSpeech was used for a low-cost ($7 USD) promotion involving the posting of indie Zelda-like game Anodyne on The Pirate Bay.[12]

Controversies

[edit]

BugMeNot controversy

[edit]

In 2004, Matt Hines of CNET reported that NearlyFreeSpeech supported BugMeNot against takedown attempts.[13] Kevin Newcomb of ClickZ.com wrote that Texas-based NearlyFreeSpeech.net spokesman Jeff Wheelhouse stated, "NearlyFreeSpeech.NET supports and defends the free expression rights of www.bugmenot.com and all our members to the very limit of its terms of service."[14]

BugMeNot's move to NearlyFreeSpeech, which also hosts a number of highly controversial sites, prompted BugMeNot's creator to say, "Personally, I don't care if I'm sharing a server with neo-Nazis. I might not agree with what they have to say, but the whole thing about freedom of speech is that people are free to speak."[15]

Badger Killers website controversy

[edit]

In 2012, Kelly Fiveash of The Register reported that US-based hosting firm NearlyFreeSpeech resisted UK government attempts to take down the Badger-Killers website, which published the personal details of individuals deemed to be badger-cull supporters, including politicians, farmers, and professors.[16][17]

Alt-right and other controversies

[edit]

In 2017, Ali Breland of The Hill described how NearlyFreeSpeech's commitment was tested in the 2012 badger-culling website case. She also quoted the CEO of Gab, an alt-right alternative to Twitter, who said that NearlyFreeSpeech might be a "safe haven" for his website after its web host gave the company five days to transfer its domain.[18] According to the 2017 book Media Law, Ethics, and Policy in the Digital Age, NearlyFreeSpeech's policy of requiring a court order to shut down websites made it the hosting choice for Jonathan Bishop's[19][20][21] Crocels News after other providers dropped the site during a defamation dispute.[22] In the 2019 book Technical Blogging: Amplify Your Influence, Antonio Cangiano "wholeheartedly" recommended NearlyFreeSpeech as a registrar and web host for controversial content.[23]

In January 2021, NearlyFreeSpeech published a statement in response to a surge in business and communications from "racists." The statement was intended to clarify the company's position on "free speech," its refusal to host illegal content, its careful cooperation with law enforcement, and its opposition to racism, hatred, and bigotry.[24]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Our Beliefs – 2002". NearlyFreeSpeech.net. February 2002. Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Our Beliefs – 2005". 2005. Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  3. ↑ "About NearlyFreeSpeech.NET". www.nearlyfreespeech.net. Archived from the original on 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  4. ↑ "NEARLYFREESPEECH Trademark of WHEELHOUSE, JEFFREY D. – Registration Number 3261072 – Serial Number 78966497 :: Justia Trademarks". trademarks.justia.com. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  5. ↑ Hemmingson, Michael (September 3, 2008). "Blogging keeps you from being hired and gets you fired". www.sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  6. ↑ Powers, Shawn (January 30, 2009). "Nearly Free Speech | Linux Journal". www.linuxjournal.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-13. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  7. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Jason (May 23, 2010). "Five Best Personal Web Hosts". Lifehacker. Archived from the original on 2019-12-14. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  8. ↑ Henry, Alan (May 20, 2012). "Five Best Web Hosting Companies". Lifehacker. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  9. ↑ Reagan, Dusty (2010-02-16). Twitter Application Development For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-470-63265-9.
  10. ↑ Fink, Cody (July 15, 2010). "How Anyone can Install Fever in Ten Minutes". Mac Stories. Archived from the original on 2019-06-06. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  11. ↑ Pumilia-Gnarini, Paolo M. (2012-09-30). Handbook of Research on Didactic Strategies and Technologies for Education: Incorporating Advancements: Incorporating Advancements. IGI Global. ISBN 978-1-4666-2123-7.
  12. ↑ Benson, Julian (20 February 2013). "Anodyne's Pirate Bay ad netted them many monies". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on 2013-02-24. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  13. ↑ Hines, Matt (August 23, 2004). "BugMeNot pesters onward". CNET. Archived from the original on 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  14. ↑ "Host: Big Traffic, Not Big Media Responsible for Bugmenot Shutdown". ClickZ. 2004-08-24. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  15. ↑ Jardin, Xeni. "Bugmenot.com returns, spokesbugperson says some news sites trying to block it Archived August 31, 2004, at the Wayback Machine". Boing Boing. August 20, 2004.
  16. ↑ Fiveash, Kelly (October 12, 2012). "UK.gov tries to close site giving home addresses of badger cull figures". www.theregister.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-01-11. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  17. ↑ "NearlyFreeSpeech.NET Blog » Official UK government attempt at censorship". blog.nearlyfreespeech.net. Archived from the original on 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  18. ↑ Breland, Ali (2017-09-18). "Alt-right Twitter rival may lose its web domain". The Hill. Archived from the original on 2020-01-11. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  19. ↑ "Official Website". JonathanBishop.org.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2025. I am the director of both these companies, as well as either director or person with significant control for The Crocels Press Limited, Crocels Entertainment Europe Limited, Crocels News, LLC, Jonathan Bishop Limited.
  20. ↑ "CROCELS RESEARCH CIC: officers". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. GOV.UK. Retrieved 11 December 2025. Find and update company information
  21. ↑ Solo, A. M. (2019). "Fighting Online Defamation, Doxing, and Impersonation". In Bishop, Jonathan (ed.). Perspectives on the Information Society. The Crocels Press Limited. ISBN 978-1-78518-007-1. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023 – via Google Books.
  22. ↑ Mhiripiri, Nhamo; Tendai, Chari (2017-01-10). Media Law, Ethics, and Policy in the Digital Age. IGI Global. pp. 150, 153. ISBN 978-1-5225-2096-2.
  23. ↑ Cangiano, Antonio (2019-06-21). Technical Blogging: Amplify Your Influence. Pragmatic Bookshelf. ISBN 978-1-68050-713-3.
  24. ↑ "NearlyFreeSpeech.NET Blog » Free Speech in 2021". blog.nearlyfreespeech.net. Archived from the original on 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NearlyFreeSpeech&oldid=1376163352"