According to TechCrunch, in August, the crypto news website Web3 Is Going Just Great reported the arrest of Roman Ziemian, founder of the crypto trading platform FutureNet, which allegedly defrauded victims of $21 million. For Molly White, the site's administrator and a software engineer known for her critical stance on the crypto industry, this was a routine post. White has long documented frauds, hacks, and scams by influencers, crypto project founders, and web3 companies on her website.
However, on October 18, an individual claiming to run a “reputation management company” contacted White, requesting the removal of her post about FutureNet and Ziemian. The person offered White a $200 bribe to delete the post, which White declined, asserting the accuracy of her reporting. The individual then increased the offer to $500, which White also refused. White noted that this was not the first attempt to intimidate her into removing factual reporting, but it was the first time someone offered her money to do so. The unnamed person did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
A few days later, White received an email from someone identifying as lawyer Michael Woods, citing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and alleging that White’s post infringed copyright. Woods claimed the content was copied from a Blogspot website called “WP Media News,” which purportedly posted the same content a day before White’s post. The Blogspot site appeared to be a content farm with articles on various topics, all allegedly authored by Woods. White warned Woods about the penalties for filing false DMCA claims, to which Woods responded by offering her $100 to remove the post. White declined this offer as well.
TechCrunch investigated and found inconsistencies in Woods' claims. The address listed in Woods' email signature did not exist, and there was no record of a Michael Woods registered as a lawyer in Los Angeles. Woods did not respond to TechCrunch’s requests for comment. Additionally, TechCrunch reached out to an email address associated with the registration of the FutureNet official website but did not receive a response.
White emphasized her commitment to factual reporting, stating, “While I’m always happy to issue corrections if I have made an error, I do not remove posts simply because the people and companies I write about don’t like what I have to say.” She added that if she complied with such requests, there would be little content left on her website.
