Who is Jim Watkins? 'QAnon' leader who owns 8chan used to run pornographic websites for money
A new HBO documentary aims to uncover the forces behind QAnon and how they manage to manipulate the minds of the people by giving fact-less information. The six-part series will also examine the relationship between QAnon and the former president of the United States, Donald Trump. The movement started with a user named ‘Q Clearance Profit’ claiming how Trump’s presidency will be instrumental in eradicating the “deep state”.
As far as the docuseries is concerned, it will also feature exclusive interviews from those who have been closely monitoring the “QAnon” movement. One such person identified is Jim Watkins, founder of the 8chan website.
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Let’s dig a litter deeper and know a little more about Jim Watkins.
Who is Jim Watkins?
Born in November 1963, Watkins joined the United States Army in 1982 when he was 18 years old, and served until 1998 or 1999. He worked as a helicopter mechanic and recruiter during his time in the Army. The Army sent him to a technology school in Virginia in 1987, where he got to learn about computers and the internet.
In 1998, while still enlisted in the army, Watkins created a website for Japanese pornography called ‘Asian Bikini Bar’. In 1998, during the rise in internet-related companies, Watkins left the army and focused on his company called NT Technology. Later, he started working with Fredrick Brennan on the website 8chan. In 2014, Watkins became the official owner and operator of 8chan while Brennan remained the site administrator until 2016. However, Brennan left the company later that year.
A report suggested that he was appalled by the notorious chat site's links to right-wing extremism and left the company in disgust. The website was removed from the Clearnet due to some objectionable content. It was reported that the culprits of Christchurch mosque shootings, the April Poway Synagogue shooting, and the El Paso shooting used 8chan to talk about their intentions. Watkins was called for interrogation in relation to the shootings. The owner of 8chan also attempted to earn money through the website, but it never became profitable for him.
However, his life turned upside-down when the ‘QAnon’ movement started to take shape on his website. The ‘QAnon’ movement saw a massive influx of people visiting the website and post a lot of content which intrigued the far-right wing voters. Many experts believe that Jim is ‘Q’ and he is the one who started the movement.
However, Watkins has always denied his association with the user. But, the fact remains that his website was responsible for a movement that created a lot of chaos in the nation. From conspiracy theories to labeling Joe Biden’s victor a fraud, Watkins’s platform has been one of the safest places for people who want to cause pandemonium on the streets.
He has also been one of the most important parts of the QAnon movement and continues to talk about the “deep state” and how the world is being governed by pedophiles.
‘Q: Into the Storm’, will premiere exclusively on HBO on Sunday, March 21, at 9 pm ET.
