Cloned Service Was Running Uncensored All Along
The unofficial service, known as Club Penguin Online, had been running in place of the real thing for years. This all changed when Disney stepped in and shut the site down, over a disturbing trend of uncensored sexual messaging taking place. Turns out the replacement servers weren’t being monitored quite as closely as the original ones.
There were multiple clones running, though Club Penguin Online was the largest of them. The more cavalier attitude taken by the mods meant that previously censored activities were given free reign. One of these activities ended up being the solicitation of nude photos from underage players. So yes, Disney shut that sh*t down with extreme prejudice.
A report from the BBC found that “swear words, homophobic slurs, anti-Semitism and racist messages” were all being allowed on a public level. They also discovered that the mods were not regulating this racist content. Finally, it was determined that players were engaging in “penguin e-sex,” comprised mostly of illicit messages between players. Another thing the old rules forbid was the sharing of personal information. Needless to say, players were handing out account details for Snapchat, Instagram, and Discord details with impunity. Also players were carrying out DDoS attacks on each other? The place more or less turned into a lawless wasteland designed mainly for children. You can read the whole BBC report here, it just goes on and on. Pay attention to what your kids are doing online, is the lesson here.