LiveLeak

LiveLeak was a British video-sharing website that hosted user-generated content, with a strong emphasis on current events, politics, and reality footage, often graphic in nature. Founded on October 31, 2006, it aimed to showcase uncensored real-world events and citizen journalism.

LiveLeak distinguished itself from other video platforms through its lax moderation policies regarding violent content, particularly graphic depictions of war, executions, and accidents. This approach attracted both a large audience interested in unfiltered reality and significant controversy due to the disturbing and often shocking nature of the videos hosted. The site's content was often used as primary source material for news organizations and academic studies, particularly in the context of political conflict and social unrest.

While LiveLeak prided itself on its commitment to free speech and documenting reality, it faced criticism for allegedly promoting violence and desensitizing viewers to human suffering. The platform's founder, Hayden Hewitt, often defended LiveLeak's content by arguing that it served as a valuable record of important events that would otherwise be suppressed or ignored. He emphasized the importance of showing the unfiltered truth, however unpleasant it might be.

Over the years, LiveLeak developed a significant online community and became a well-known, albeit controversial, presence on the internet. The site's content was often debated in the context of censorship, freedom of expression, and the ethical responsibilities of online platforms.

In May 2021, LiveLeak was shut down and replaced by ItemFix, a platform with a more moderate approach to content moderation and a broader range of topics. The reasons cited for the closure included the increasing difficulties in moderating the site's content and the desire to move towards a different type of online platform. The closure of LiveLeak marked the end of an era for unfiltered and often disturbing online video sharing.