Epik

Epik is an American domain registrar and web hosting company based in Sheridan, Wyoming. Founded by Rob Monster in 2009, Epik branded itself as the "Swiss bank of domains" and became known as one of the few US-based registrars that routinely ignored reports of illegal activity. The company has provided services to alt-tech platforms hosting far-right content, and had been characterized as a "safe haven for the extreme right" by critics due to its support for sites deplatformed by other providers. Some of Epik's notable clients have included social network Gab and the imageboard website 8chan. In 2021, the social network Parler moved its domain registration to Epik after connections to the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol were reported. Epik has also provided hosting and registrar services to Patriots.win, formerly TheDonald.win, an independent far-right forum that has served as the successor for the r/The_Donald subreddit that was banned in June 2020. In September and October 2021, hackers identifying themselves as a part of Anonymous released several caches of data obtained from Epik in a large-scale data breach. In 2023, Epik's registrar and hosting platform were sold to Epik, LLC, a new subsidiary of Registered Agents Inc, after the company reportedly experienced financial hardship due to litigation surrounding Monster's alleged mishandling of funds. Following the sale, Epik's new owner made efforts to rebrand as a registrar for business owners, updating its terms of service and removing its controversial customers including Kiwi Farms and Gab.