There is a dangerous, at times criminal, cyberbullying/hate-filled website on the internet called Topix.com that has been allowed to fly under the radar for far too long. Topix, which falsely claims to be a news aggregator (when in fact many of their forums contain virtually no news whatsover), is out of control throughout the United States and other countries. Topix is making a profit off of the very serious issues of bullying, harassment, drug sales, racism, and sexual predators with no accountability.  Their lack of conscience is particularly alarming due to the growing number of suicides, cyberstalking victims, and people who have lost their reputations through the behavior of those who hide behind a keyboard.

The way Topix functions is every town and city are given their own Topix site. For example, you can google Van Buren, Missouri topix and then click on the section which says forums. Topix allows hidden posters, without required registration, to post anything they want. This means that in many areas, especially small towns, people are libeled  and defamed relentlessly and without moderation. The company claims they will remove abusive posts within 72 hours that are reported, but that rarely occurs. It should not be the responsibility of users to police the site when Topix are the ones making a profit. Topix has no desire to remove particularly popular posts, because they fear it will cost them website hits even if it destroys others. Topix has mocked freedom of speech. Libel, defamation and forums that promote incest and drug sales are not protected by the first amendment.  Many innocent people have been called anything from drug users to pedofiles, or are accused of other things. This can destroy a reputation and much of the hatred is targeted toward children with no conscience or morality displayed by Topix management. We encourage you to do a search and find your own town or city's site and you will be horrified by much of what you see. There are also other Topix forums not dedicated to communities such as the human sexuality and AFAM forums that promote racism, incest, and even rape! This is not what the framers of our Constitution meant by the first amendment.

Over 30 attorney generals two years ago sent a letter to the CEO of Topix, Mr.Chris Tolles, and he continues to make excuses. The company has even claimed that speech is more important than the victim. That is morally deplorable. In lieu of numerous complaints, Topix even changed their Terms of Service to become even more vague, making their site worse than ever.  People are being forced to move to different towns and there have been incidents of violence because of the Topix website. Please sign the petition and ask for the forums section to either be completely removed if the forums are not going to be better moderated with accountability for those who slander and libel other people's names. Remember it takes a lifetime to build your reputation but only seconds for someone or a cowardly company to destroy it.