Did you notice that the legarcon.net domain had been down for a while?

Probably not.

The legacy board, which has been online for over 25 years, attracts just a handful of posts each week from aging French boylovers. Most of the posts fit into two categories: complaints about the French government, and the past adventures of a former public official who has apparently become the target of an international manhunt.

The site is under investigation by French authorities for "providing an online platform to enable illicit transactions, as part of an organized gang". That's a patently stupid accusation, and word on the street is they're much more focused on that one individual. I understand there has been no formal law enforcement action against the site itself, and that it will ultimately be held blameless.

Still, it's hardly been plain sailing for the board, the domain of which was suspended by its registrar. Back in August, an obscure French charity named 211organisation took credit for this. An English translation reads:

I’m announcing that the international child-abuse site named ‘La Garçonnière’ (legarcon.net) has been permanently shut down by our intelligence services and by Default.

This is an important step in the fight against child exploitation: one of the largest cybercrime sites targeting children has just closed, and its communication channels have been permanently cut off.

All information about the site, its members, servers, and subdomains has been recorded, along with the necessary evidence.

The people will prevail. The balance of fear is shifting.

Clearly written by AI, the statement is full of pure nonsense. Presumably the prompt was thin, written by an individual who saw the legarcon.net domain had gone down and wanted to cash in by taking credit. The bot hallucinated its own details, imagining the near-abandoned board as some kind of massive darknet operation.

The reality is that 211organisation were simply lying about their involvement, defrauding the public and their donors in the process. Operated in part by a pair of vigilantes turned pseudo-professionals, they are little more than scammers who had nothing to do with the legarcon.net domain going down.

How do I know that 211organisation are lying? Because I got hold of the actual complaint which led to the suspension.

That complaint was sent by an Angolan official to former registrar NameSilo, using the e-mail address domingos.ferreira@cuanzanorte.gov.ao.

Mr. Ferreira wrote:

Hi,

please find the report below:

I am writing to report legarcon.net, which we believe is being used for activities involving the sexual exploitation of minors and facilitating inappropriate contact between minors and adults. We understand that the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office (Parquet de Paris) has opened an investigation concerning this website.

We are contacting you on behalf of Cuanza Norte, Angola, with the aim of preventing further contact between minors and adults exhibiting inappropriate or predatory behavior through this website.

Given the potential danger to children, we would appreciate your urgent attention to this matter. We are prepared to provide any relevant information or documentation available to us, including information concerning the investigation by the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, should it be required.

Kind regards, Cuanza Norte, Angola

Who is Domingos Ferreira, and what the hell does he have to do with a French-language website, hosted in another European country, using a (now former) registrar based in the US? I sent an e-mail asking this, and requesting clarification on whether he complained in an official capacity or as a private individual. So far neither he nor the government of Cuanza Norte have responded. I guess they do not have a good explanation.

A search does turn up a certain Domingos Ferreira working as a senior figure in the Angolan police force. And the e-mail's offer to share "any relevant information or documentation available to us, including information concerning the investigation by the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office" suggests he may indeed be a law enforcement official working with the French authorities. The question remains as to why Angola would be involved, and why their officials would be sending complaints to a registrar based in a third country. How does Angola even fit into this?

One of the most interesting theories I heard is that perhaps Angola is connected to the French official under investigation. If that is the case, making unnecessary (and dishonest) abuse complaints to a registrar is a terrible move. Investigations are best conducted in secrecy, and the actions of Domingos Ferreira have ultimately led to an Angolan connection being leaked here.

Thankfully, the legarcon.net domain is now back online, at least outside of France where it has been blocked by the telecommunications regulator Arcom. A person you may know well ghostwrote a very persuasive e-mail...

The Arcom block

I can't find any high quality sources about the Arcom block that are not paywalled, so unfortunately I have to rely on some very shaky sources for information. That said, let's take a look at what has been claimed. All statements are translated from French to English.

According to a summary of a more detailed news report:

Arcom presented several screenshots of the site to the judges. According to the authority, the majority of the content published consisted of accounts of sexual abuse of minors or advice on how to approach children for the purpose of committing sexual offenses against them.

The court found that the discussions on the forum promote sexual relations between adults and minors, particularly in the context of sex tourism. According to the court, some of the content could amount to rape or sexual assault. The judges also noted that the favorable portrayal of these practices could constitute the public justification of crimes, or even incitement to commit them. Furthermore, the fact that the forum is freely accessible could fall under the scope of Article 227-24 of the Penal Code, which concerns the dissemination of content that may be viewed by minors.

An anti-MAP vigilante group, 'Wanted Pedo' similarly claims that Arcom's lawyer argued:

The majority of published content consists of (…) accounts of sexual relations with minors, all over the world” or distributes advice “to facilitate contact with children for pedocriminal purposes.

All of these messages explicitly promote sexuality between adults and children or young adolescents, primarily in the context of sex tourism.

The group quotes the court as follows:

By presenting these practices in a favorable light, the messages reproduced (...) are likely to constitute a public apology for crime (...) or even an incitement to commit them."

Since this content is freely accessible, it may fall within the scope of Article 227-24 of the Penal Code, which prohibits the dissemination of a violent message or one contrary to human dignity, likely to be seen by a minor.

I haven't seen the screenshots presented to the court. However, it is my understanding that legarcon.net, along with all Free Spirits sites, do not allow users to promote sexual activity with children. Rules are enforced strictly across all of their sites; I do not believe the moderators are simply letting things slide. If Arcom's lawyer was not simply lying, one suspects that discussions on how to make young friends are being interpreted through the most cynical lens possible, by men who can't imagine spending time with a woman without trying to sexually assault her. Given France's recent history of sex crimes against women, that would hardly come as a surprise.

To allege that reminiscing positively about past experiences is somehow incitement is absolutely wild. In virtually every jurisdiction around the world, a crime requires intent. How would that bar be met by someone who is simply speaking about their past experiences? I don't believe it would. There was likely nobody actually defending legarcon.net; the 'defendants' in the court case were merely the ISPs who hadn't yet blocked the site.

As for the prohibition on disseminating content "contrary to human dignity" if likely to be seen by a minor, that is shockingly broad law ripe for abuse. And given the extreme dictatorial turn the French government and judiciary has taken of late, one would expect frequent misuse for the purpose of silencing those deemed adversarial to the state.

Putting things into perspective

Being the relic that it is, the drama over legarcon.net is hard to put into perspective. There are more active MAP sites that receive little in the way of mainstream news coverage. Sites like BoyMoment, Boyland Online, Visions of Alice, and Mu's blatantly unapologetic activist forum have attracted surprisingly little attention.

But like a broken clock, Wanted Pedo was perhaps right about one thing. Legarcon.net is probably being targeted because a poster threatened government minister Sarah El Hairy, claiming he had damaging information on the French government. The powers that be protect themselves first and foremost.

Furthermore, I think the public accessibility of legarcon.net provokes anger among the public. The hysteria over MAPs is not about protecting children, but about being repulsed by a MAP's feelings. The public would rather MAPs be forced into hiding, even if that led to far greater harm. And this is exactly what will happen. People who can't find MAP peers on open sites will be pushed to the darknet, where unsavory characters might actually counsel them on how to commit crimes against children.

MAPs aren't going to go away. MAPs aren't going to stop wanting to talk with each other. Who else would they talk to? Those who would wish them dead simply for their feelings?

Time to post in French?

It is a firm belief of mine that people should keep their promises. Back in May, I wrote:

If a single one of our lawful sites is taken down by France, I will start distributing exactly the kind of articles, in French, that their nasty government would not wish the public to see. This would include articles on working with children, befriending children (not for sexual relationships), and whatever else I can think of that would really make a point. And it would be remiss not to mention that if they somehow figured out a way to have this platform removed or blocked, I would find another one and push back even harder. Any escalation by them will result in an escalation by me. Hell, they could magically persuade every country in the world to criminalize our very existence as MAPs, and then we'd have absolutely nothing left to lose! If they wanna start a war, bring it the fuck on!

Legarcon.net has not been taken down as such, but its domain has been blocked in France.

Has the condition been met? I'd appreciate your thoughts.