www.bbc.com Open in urlscan Pro
151.101.0.81  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

LET US KNOW YOU AGREE TO COOKIES

We use cookies to give you the best online experience. Please let us know if you
agree to all of these cookies.

Yes, I agree

No, take me to settings

BBC Homepage
 * Skip to content
 * Accessibility Help

 * Sign in
 * Home
 * News
 * Sport
 * Reel
 * Worklife
 * Travel
 * Future
 * Culture
 * MenuMore

Search
 * Home
 * News
 * Sport
 * Reel
 * Worklife
 * Travel
 * Future
 * Culture
 * Music
 * TV
 * Weather
 * Sounds

Close menu
BBC News
Menu
 * Home
 * War in Ukraine
 * Coronavirus
 * Climate
 * Video
 * World
 * UK
 * Business
 * Tech
 * Science
 * Stories

More
 * Entertainment & Arts
 * Health
 * World News TV
 * In Pictures
 * Reality Check
 * Newsbeat
 * Long Reads

 * Tech


THREE ARRESTS OVER UNOFFICIAL CLUB PENGUIN SITE

By Joe Tidy
Cyber reporter

Published21 hours ago
Share
close
Share page
Copy link
About sharing


City of London police have arrested three people for running an unofficial
version of Disney's game Club Penguin.

Police, acting on the wishes of Disney, took down the website, which claimed to
have millions of registered users.

It comes after a BBC investigation in 2020 witnessed players simulating sex and
exchanging racist and anti-Semitic abuse on another unauthorised clone of the
children's game.

Police have released the suspects as they investigate copyright offences.

Disney's Club Penguin launched in 2005 and was one of the first social networks
for children.

It had more than 200 million players at its peak, who explored a cartoon world -
walking, talking and playing mini games using penguin avatars.



Image caption,
Some players accused Club Penguin Rewritten of being 'unsafe'

While anybody could join the original website, content filters and human
moderators were employed to stop inappropriate messages or personal information
being shared.

But Disney closed the website in 2017.

Since then, unofficial clones of the website have been set up. These so-called
'private servers' were launched using stolen or copied source code, and can
easily be found by children searching the internet.

Club Penguin Online was the largest of the unauthorised clones and the subject
of a BBC investigation in May 2020.

Its popularity exploded during the coronavirus pandemic, with seven million
registered players.

The BBC investigation found racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic and sexual messages
flowing freely on the unauthorised platform, which saw children playing
alongside adults.



Disney said it was "appalled" by the website and ordered it to close or face
legal action.

But many players simply moved to another major site, Club Penguin Rewritten,
which - nearly two years on - has now been closed.

The site included in-game advertising, although it is not known how much money
was generated.

One player, who spent time on both sites, told the BBC: "The game had been
booming ever since Club Penguin Online's [CPO] shutdown, as that is where the
CPO player population migrated to. However, that may have worked against them in
the end."

This video can not be played


TO PLAY THIS VIDEO YOU NEED TO ENABLE JAVASCRIPT IN YOUR BROWSER.

Media caption,
Unofficial Club Penguin games turn toxic

Another user contacted the BBC claiming the site was 'unsafe' because of poor
moderation.

Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime
Unit (PIPCU) at City of London police, confirmed the seizure of the site and
arrests.



"Following a complaint under copyright law, PIPCU have seized a gaming website
as part of an ongoing investigation into the site.

"Three people were arrested on April 12 on suspicion of distributing materials
infringing copyright, and searches were carried out," he said.


MORE ON THIS STORY

 * Disney forces explicit Club Penguin clones offline
   
   15 May 2020
   


RELATED TOPICS

 * Gaming
 * Disney
 * City of London
 * City of London Police





TOP STORIES

 * Live. 
   
   Russia threatens more attacks on Kyiv after losing warship

 * Russian warship Moskva sinks in Black Sea
   
   Published2 hours ago

 * Behind the scenes in Zelensky's modern HQ
   
   Published10 hours ago




FEATURES

 * 'I'm shocked by my church leaders in Moscow'
   
   

 * 'Home is home' - Ukrainians returning to war zones
   
   

 * 'I won't give them hate' - brother of UK hostage killed. Video'I won't give
   them hate' - brother of UK hostage killed
   
   
 * 

 * Viral videos show anger and desperation in Shanghai. VideoViral videos show
   anger and desperation in Shanghai
   
   

 * Jerusalem on edge as festivals fall amid tensions
   
   

 * The Welsh drifter who helped bring an end to WW2
   
   

 * Sienna Miller on the 'ignorance' of privilege
   
   

 * The book that sank on the Titanic and burned in the Blitz
   
   

 * The best books of the year so far
   
   




ELSEWHERE ON THE BBC

 * 'Nobody wants to say no to your face'
   
   John Bishop talks maturity and working class representation
   
   

 * 'We're gonna need a bigger boat'
   
   Which famous movie quotes have you been getting wrong?
   
   

 * 'A band of oddities, gentlemen and pirates'
   
   Your first look at exciting new drama SAS Rogue Heroes
   
   




MOST READ

 1.  1Russian warship Moskva sinks in Black Sea
 2.  2Behind the scenes in Zelensky's modern HQ
 3.  3'I'm shocked by my church leaders in Moscow'
 4.  4Harry and Meghan visit Queen on way to Invictus
 5.  5Depp and Heard marriage ended in 'mutual abuse'
 6.  6Sunken Russian warship: What do we know?
 7.  7The battle for control of Ukraine's skies
 8.  8Elon Musk 'not sure' his Twitter bid will succeed
 9.  9Sienna Miller on the 'ignorance' of privilege
 10. 10Guilty verdict for Islamic State jihadist in US







BBC NEWS SERVICES

 * On your mobile
 * On smart speakers
 * Get news alerts
 * Contact BBC News

 * Home
 * News
 * Sport
 * Reel
 * Worklife
 * Travel
 * Future
 * Culture
 * Music
 * TV
 * Weather
 * Sounds

 * Terms of Use
 * About the BBC
 * Privacy Policy
 * Cookies
 * Accessibility Help
 * Parental Guidance
 * Contact the BBC
 * Get Personalised Newsletters
 * Why you can trust the BBC
 * Advertise with us
 * AdChoices / Do Not Sell My Info

© 2022 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read
about our approach to external linking.