Abstract
Yahoo’s purchase of make-your-own-website platform GeoCities in 1999 and subsequent implementation of a new Terms of Service agreement led to one of the most notable boycotts in Web history. During the “Haunting,” GeoCities users stripped their homepages of color and content, replacing blinking GIFs with excerpts of the offending Terms of Service. In this landmark battle over content rights and access control, protestors used the platform antagonistically, disrupting the value of user-generated content and undermining the company’s strategic vision for the platform. Within a week, the Haunting of GeoCities successfully forced Yahoo to acquiesce to protestor demands and set enduring standards for Terms of Service that preserved greater rights for content creators. This case study from the early Web demonstrates how access is always bound up in a struggle over control and offers a timely reminder of how users have been—and can be—vital agents of platform politics.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
