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How close an eye should cloud firms keep on their customers, in terms of how they use their platforms and what for? And how accountable will they be if users decide to appropriate their platforms to carry out nefarious deeds? That is a question that has come into sharper focus of late, in response to the news in August 2019 that cloud security and performance management platform Cloudflare was terminating its contract with free speech-championing online messageboard 8chan. “A cesspool of hate” is how Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince described its former customer, after it emerged that several mass shooters had uploaded manifestos or letters of intent to the site before going on to commit terror attacks and atrocities. “Even if 8chan may not have violated the letter of the law in refusing to moderate their hate-filled community, they have created an environment that revels in violating its spirit,” wrote Prince in a blog post, outlining Cloudflare’s decision to sever ties with 8chan. As well as raising questions of regulation, the ...