Internet is old now, and very much changed from what it used to be. I have been using Internet for some 15 odd years now and the internet of then has nothing similar to what it is now. Search engines are changed, websites are changed, the way we browse is changed. To educate you about how internet used to be through the series of old website of Internet, we are covering jpg4.us today. Jpg4us or Jpg4.us was a notorious website that many of you might not know about. So in this article from the series of forgotten websites, we will tell you what jpg4us was and why it was taken down.
What was Jpg4us?
Jpg4us was a database of adult images and videos that often used to provide a search-engine like service for people who wanted adult content. Although the name initially may sound like some tool that provide image conversion service or maybe a stock image website, Jpg4us was mostly a pornographic search engine.
Anyone could visit the jpg4.us website and then just like Google, you could search for an adult image through the search box there. And here is one more fun thing, it looked exactly like Google! Jpg4.us had a logo exactly same as Google and their whole website layout was like Google. It was a fashion around 2010-12 to make websites look like Google. Many website turned their layout to look like a search engines, Jpg4us being one of those. Here is an image to show what it looked like:
You can clearly see that their logo, the search box, the links to different type of content- they all look exactly like how Google used to look then. Check the page here on webarchive.
By, the way, did you notice that they have this notice in their top section :
“Due to censorship, in some regions, this site is not listed in search engine results. Please use the address JPG4.US to directly visit this site.”
source: webarchive for Jpg4.us
When was Jpg4.us active?
Earlier, in 2009, Jpg4.us was reachable on a different domain name : photo.sagac.info. When people used to visit the website, they would find a similar search engine for images, however it was more like a directory of links then. A small search box with a button saying “jpg4.us” followed by infinite number of links. See how the website looked in 2009:
However, after 2010, Jpg4.us was active for almost a decade on its own domain name. The website didn’t change the layout much during its peak period of 2010-2019. However, in 2020, we could see a “sale” ticker on the website. Jpg4.us was available for sale in 2020, mostly because of the takedown it had to face.
What was the story behind Jpg4.us takedown?
Jpg4.us hosted mostly content that were inappropriate as well as sometimes copyrighted. The content also was affecting privacy of people whose inappropriate pictures were hosted on the platform. One more possible reason it might have been taken down was because it openly copied its layout from Google.
After the takedown of jpg4us, the website slowly started to disappear from the major search engines like Yahoo, Bing and Google. Because of the takedown, they started promoting their website through a notice that asked users to directly visit their website instead of searching on Google or Yahoo.
However, in the beginning of 2020, the website was not visible anymore and most possibly because of the takedown. The website might have been facing hardship with maintaining the cost of existence because of the massive drop in traffic.
Why we hated Jpg4us?
We have a personal hatred for Jpg4us. The reason? Child pornography! The website very openly provided child pornography content and even though pornographic content is a part of Internet and lifestyle, child pornography is neither a thing of pleasure nor it should be acceptable. We personally condemn any such website and we wish that people stop this heinous act of spreading as well as watching child pornographic content.
Check this for more details on legal consequences related to child pornography : https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-ceos/citizens-guide-us-federal-law-child-pornography
Summary
| Description | JPG4.us was a pornographic search engine that resembled Google in layout. |
| Active Period | Operated from around 2010-2019, initially on photo.sagac.info and later on its own domain. |
| Content | Hosted a database of adult images and videos, offering a search-engine like service. |
| Website Layout | Closely mimicked Google’s layout, adopting its logo and search box design. |
| Takedown Reasons | Taken down due to hosting inappropriate and possibly copyrighted content, including child pornography. |
| Post-Takedown Efforts | Attempted to direct traffic to its site through notices after the takedown. |
| Disappearance | Eventually disappeared from major search engines, possibly due to a drop in traffic and maintenance cost challenges. |
| Controversy | Controversial for openly providing child pornography content. |
We will be covering more such websites of past in our Forgotten Websites series. We hope that you like the history of Internet from our experience and get to learn something from this.
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