If you’re a true crime fan, chances are you’ve probably heard about Netflix’s new docu-series, The Most Hated Man on the Internet.
From the production company behind The Tinder Swindler and Don’t F**k with Cats, the three-part series documents the rise and fall of Hunter Moore, an American man who gained notoriety for creating a website in 2010 dedicated to spreading revenge porn.
The story is told through the lens of Moore’s victims, giving a well-overdue platform to them and the people brave enough to try to stop him.
“The media absolutely loved Hunter Moore, but no one was listening to the traumatised victims of his revenge-porn website,” executive producer Alex Marengo told Netflix. “Now some of them have bravely gone on camera to call out the hurt and abuse Hunter thrived on… We hope the huge Netflix audience will not only enjoy the ride but also join the growing mass of people calling for an end to online abuse.”
After dropping on Netflix on July 27, The Most Hated Man on the Internet has sparked further interest in Moore. Here we examine who exactly Hunter Moore is, why the streaming platform decided to make a doco about him, and where he is now.
What Did Hunter Moore Do?
Hunter Moore, who has been called “the most hated man on the Internet”, founded a since-deleted website called AnyoneIsUp in 2010, which engaged in revenge porn (ie non-consensual sharing of intimate images).
What was initially meant to be a clubbing website took a turn when he later posted a naked photo of a girl who broke up with him. A week after it was posted, there were 14,000 hits on the image. He then started receiving photos from strangers and began sharing them. Jilted lovers were sending him compromising images of their exes, and Moore published them on the website, complete with full names and Facebook snapshots of the victims.
According to Rolling Stone, many women claimed that not only had they not provided consent for their images to be used, but that the images had been hacked from their personal computers.
What Was Hunter Moore Convicted For?
Moore was investigated by the FBI after Charlotte Laws, the mother of a woman whose images were posted to AnyoneIsUp, put together evidence from more than 40 victims over two years before handing it over to the FBI. When Moore was indicted in a federal court in California in 2014, it wasn’t actually for his misogynistic behaviour as such, but for the way in which obtained the content for his revenge porn — charges of conspiracy and unauthorised access to a protected computer.
He was released on a USD $100,000 bond two days later, before pleading guilty in 2015 to aggravated identity theft and aiding and abetting in the unauthorised access. Moore was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, as well as being required to pay a fine of USD $2,000 as well as USD $145.70 in restitution.
What Happened To AnyoneIsUp?
The website was shut down in 2021 and sold, with the domain being handed over to over to anti-bullying site Bullyville.com, founded by activist James McGibney.
On April 20 this year, Moore wrote on Twitter: “On this day 12 years ago I sold my site IsAnyoneUp, and the rest is history.”
On this day 12years ago I sold my site IsAnyoneUp, and the rest is history
— Hunter Moore (@_iamhuntermoore) April 19, 2022
Where Is Hunter Moore Now?
Hunter Moore has kept a relatively low profile since being released from prison in 2017. In 2018 he wrote a controversial book called Is Anyone Up?.
The now-36-year-old has a TikTok account and a Twitter account with the handle @_iamhuntermoore. Earlier this week, he opened up about his decision to not participate in the Netflix docu-series.
“A lot of you has been asking why didn’t I tell my side of the story on Netflix documentary, well at first we all had agreed about the terms and all but at the end they wouldn’t let me tell my side of the story, basically I had to say what they wanted me to say, so I back off,” he tweeted.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
This True Crime Series Is Both Raw & Respectful