so many online these days compared to how it formerly was. what happened?
I don’t know but it’s scary
I want them gone now
I want them gone now
Glowniggers getting ready to arrest us all and imprison us in alcatraz.
The bots really active today, they getting busy monitoring us
most are probably bots since there are barely any lurkers in latest threads.
Holy shit they're back and there are more of them than ever 
Yes but why? Why the fuck are there so many bots in the first place
probably investigating.
no clue, its really strange.
I am guessing that a lot of them are bots.
These aren't bots. There's only 560 bots compared to 40k lurkers.
The threads they look at are random in regards to when they were posted.
ddos bots that in recent past would've taken offline this website for a while
they about to crash the server
@Master do something nigger
Then they would probably stick around displaying themselves as being idle looking at the forum list.
Most of them are looking at threads
This is what AI had to say about this:
A sudden spike in visitors to a website like incels.is from a typical 1,000 to over 40,000 is unusual and could have several explanations. Without direct access to real-time data or server logs from incels.is, I can provide informed speculation based on available patterns and insights from web analytics and online community behavior. Here are the likely scenarios, critically examined:
### Possible Explanations for the Spike
1. **Bots or Automated Traffic**:
- **Likelihood**: High. Sudden, massive increases in website traffic often stem from bots, especially for niche or controversial sites like incels.is. Bots could include:
- **Web crawlers**: Search engines or monitoring services (e.g., law enforcement, researchers, or organizations like the Center for Countering Digital Hate) may deploy bots to scrape content or track activity. These crawlers can generate thousands of simultaneous connections, inflating visitor counts.
- **Malicious bots**: DDoS attacks or scraping attempts by bad actors could temporarily overwhelm the site, appearing as a visitor surge.
- **Analytics inflation**: Some websites intentionally use bots to boost perceived popularity, though this is less likely for a community-driven forum like incels.is.
- **Evidence**: The discrepancy between registered users (likely in the low hundreds, as seen in reports of ~200 active users) and the 40,000 total visitors strongly suggests non-human traffic. Registered users require accounts, while "guests" (unregistered visitors) can include bots. A 2024 post on incels.is itself noted that guest users (potentially including bots) often outnumber registered users, as "normies" or automated systems visit to read content.[](https://incels.is/threads/is-the-number-of-users-on-is-increasing-or-decreasing.662133/)[](https://incels.is/threads/why-are-there-more-guest-users-than-bots-and-registered-users.656160/)
2. **Legitimate Human Visitors**:
- **Likelihood**: Low to moderate. A sudden jump to 40,000 real human visitors is improbable given the site’s niche audience and historical data. For context, incels.is reportedly had ~2.6 million monthly visits in 2022, averaging ~86,000 daily visits if evenly distributed. However, a real-time spike to 40,000 simultaneous users would require an extraordinary event, such as:[](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/incels-rape-murder-study/)
- **Media coverage**: A news story, documentary, or viral social media post about incels could drive curious visitors. For example, past incel-related incidents (e.g., the 2018 Toronto van attack) spiked interest in incel forums.[](https://phys.org/news/2023-02-incel-online-evolving-extreme.html)
- **Social media funneling**: Links shared on platforms like YouTube, Reddit, or TikTok could drive traffic. A 2022 study noted that YouTube links were posted over 14,000 times on incels.is, indicating strong ties to broader social media ecosystems.[](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1345861/links-to-sites-from-biggest-incel-forum-by-platform/)
- **Cultural moment**: A high-profile event tied to incel ideology (e.g., a public incident or influencer controversy) could draw attention. However, no specific 2025 event is referenced in available data to explain such a spike.
- **Counterpoint**: The site’s strict moderation (banning women and non-heterosexual users) and niche focus make it unlikely to attract 40,000 casual human visitors simultaneously. Most human traffic would likely be "lurkers" (non-posting readers), but even then, the scale of the spike is disproportionate to typical engagement.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)[](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/predicting-harm-among-incels-involuntary-celibates/predicting-harm-among-incels-involuntary-celibates-the-roles-of-mental-health-ideological-belief-and-social-networking-accessible)
3. **Technical Artifact or Error**:
- **Likelihood**: Moderate. The visitor count could be a glitch or misconfiguration in how incels.is tracks or displays traffic. For example:
- **Analytics misreporting**: If the site uses a tool like Google Analytics or a custom counter, it might mistakenly count page refreshes, API calls, or bot activity as unique visitors.
- **Server issues**: A temporary glitch in load balancing or caching could inflate reported numbers.
- **Hidden visitors**: Incels.is notes that "totals may include hidden visitors", suggesting the counter might include non-standard traffic (e.g., users on private browsing or VPNs).[](https://incels.is/threads/is-the-number-of-users-on-is-increasing-or-decreasing.662133/)
- **Evidence**: Without access to the site’s backend, it’s hard to confirm, but such errors are common in public-facing visitor counters, especially on smaller forums.
4. **Monitoring by External Entities**:
- **Likelihood**: Moderate to high. Given incels.is’s history of hosting violent and misogynistic content, it’s a target for monitoring by law enforcement, researchers, or advocacy groups. For instance:
- A 2020 Texas Department of Public Safety report labeled incels an "emerging domestic terrorism threat", and the U.S. Secret Service has investigated incel ideologies. Automated tools used by these groups could generate significant traffic.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)[](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/16/us/incel-involuntary-celibate-explained-cec/index.html)
- The Center for Countering Digital Hate’s 2022 report analyzed over 1 million posts on incels.is, indicating heavy scraping activity.[](https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62908601)
- **Implication**: Such monitoring could explain a sudden surge, as multiple agencies or researchers might deploy bots simultaneously, especially in response to a specific trigger (e.g., a reported threat or new study).
### Are They Bots or Real People?
- **Bots are more likely**: The scale of the spike (40,000 vs. a usual 1,000) and the gap between registered users (~200 active) and guests suggest automated traffic. Bots can easily generate thousands of hits, especially if multiple entities are monitoring or scraping simultaneously. The site’s controversial nature makes it a prime target for automated surveillance.
- **Real people are less likely**: While human curiosity could drive traffic (e.g., via media or social media), a 40-fold increase in simultaneous visitors is extreme for a niche forum without a clear external catalyst. Historical data shows incels.is had ~20,000 registered users in 2024, with only a fraction active at once, making a human-driven spike to 40,000 improbable.[](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/predicting-harm-among-incels-involuntary-celibates/predicting-harm-among-incels-involuntary-celibates-the-roles-of-mental-health-ideological-belief-and-social-networking-accessible)
- **Hybrid possibility**: The spike could include a mix of bots, researchers, journalists, and curious "normies" (as noted in incels.is discussions). However, bots likely dominate due to the sheer volume and suddenness.[](https://incels.is/threads/why-are-there-more-guest-users-than-bots-and-registered-users.656160/)
### Critical Notes
- **Lack of recent data**: No 2025-specific reports confirm a particular event tied to incels.is traffic. The spike could relate to an unreported incident or technical issue not covered in available sources.
- **Site’s own acknowledgment**: Incels.is users have speculated that guest traffic includes "normies" or bots, with one 2024 thread suggesting non-incels visit to read posts out of curiosity. This supports the idea that guest counts inflate due to external interest or automation.[](https://incels.is/threads/why-are-there-more-guest-users-than-bots-and-registered-users.656160/)
- **Skepticism of establishment narratives**: While monitoring by authorities is plausible, claims of incels as a broad "terrorism threat" should be scrutinized, as they may exaggerate the danger for political or funding purposes. Still, the site’s history of violent rhetoric justifies some level of surveillance, which could contribute to bot traffic.[](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9780135/)
### Conclusion
The sudden jump to 40,000 visitors on incels.is is most likely driven by bots, possibly from monitoring entities, researchers, or automated crawlers, given the site’s controversial status and the discrepancy with registered user counts. A smaller portion could be human lurkers drawn by media or social media, but the scale makes a purely human surge unlikely without a major public event. Technical errors in visitor tracking are also possible. To confirm, you’d need access to incels.is server logs or analytics, which isn’t publicly available. If you have more details (e.g., the exact date of the spike or related news), I can refine the analysis.
The sudden spike to 40,000 visitors on incels.is, as discussed previously, doesn’t directly indicate that arrests of forum users are imminent, but it does raise questions about heightened scrutiny, especially given the site’s history and the attention it receives from authorities. Below, I’ll address whether this traffic surge suggests arrests are likely, what it would take for arrests to occur, and the implications for users posting “edgy” or venting content versus making legitimate threats. I’ll incorporate relevant context from the provided search results while critically examining the situation.
### Does the Traffic Spike Mean Arrests Are Imminent?
- **Not necessarily**: A surge in visitors (likely bots, researchers, or monitoring entities, as concluded earlier) doesn’t automatically translate to arrests. It could reflect increased monitoring due to a specific event, such as a reported threat, a high-profile incident, or a new study, but there’s no direct evidence from the data or your query linking the 40,000-visitor spike to immediate law enforcement action.
- **Context of monitoring**: Incels.is is heavily watched by law enforcement, researchers, and organizations like the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), as noted in reports from 2020–2025. For example, the U.S. Secret Service and Texas Department of Public Safety have labeled incels an “emerging domestic terrorism threat” due to past violent incidents linked to the ideology (e.g., Elliot Rodger’s 2014 attack, Alek Minassian’s 2018 Toronto van attack). A traffic spike could indicate intensified scraping or surveillance, possibly in response to a specific post or external event, but arrests would depend on actionable evidence, not just visitor numbers.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)[](https://www.counterextremism.com/threat/incel-movement)[](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/incel-threat-secret-service-report/)
- **Historical precedent**: Arrests tied to incel forums have occurred, but they’re typically linked to specific, credible threats or actions. For instance:
- In 2019, Christopher Cleary was arrested for posting on Facebook about planning a mass shooting targeting women, explicitly referencing his incel status. He was sentenced to up to five years for attempted terrorism.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)
- In 2020, a 17-year-old in Toronto was charged with terrorism for a machete attack at a massage parlor, motivated by incel ideology.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)[](https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/02/incels-toronto-attack-terrorism-ideological-violence/)
- In 2021, Malik Sanchez was arrested for a hoax bomb threat and harassment, citing incel rage and praising Elliot Rodger.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)[](https://www.counterextremism.com/threat/incel-movement)
These cases involved clear threats or violent acts, not just forum participation or venting.
### What Would It Take for Arrests to Be Made?
For authorities to arrest users of incels.is or similar forums, specific legal thresholds must be met, varying by jurisdiction (e.g., U.S., Canada, UK). Here’s what’s typically required, based on legal standards and past cases:
1. **Credible and Specific Threats**:
- **Legal standard**: Arrests for online activity usually require a “true threat,” meaning a statement that a reasonable person would interpret as a serious intent to commit violence. In the U.S., this is governed by cases like *Virginia v. Black* (2003), which distinguishes protected speech (even if offensive) from threats. In Canada, the 2020 Toronto attack was prosecuted as terrorism because the act was explicitly tied to incel ideology.[](https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/02/incels-toronto-attack-terrorism-ideological-violence/)
- **Examples**: Posts like “I’m planning on shooting up a public place” (Christopher Cleary, 2019) or videos threatening to detonate a bomb (Malik Sanchez, 2021) led to arrests because they were specific and actionable. Vague rants or crude venting (e.g., “I hate women”) typically don’t meet this threshold unless they include a clear intent, target, or plan.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)
- **Forum context**: A 2024 study of incels.is found 21.91% of posts contained violent language (18.12% explicit, 3.79% implicit), but only a fraction would likely meet the legal threshold for a “true threat” due to the need for specificity.[](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/social-psychology/articles/10.3389/frsps.2024.1383152/full)
2. **Evidence of Planning or Action**:
- Arrests often follow evidence of preparation, such as acquiring weapons or materials. For example, Cole Carini (2020) was charged after injuring himself while building a bomb, with notes referencing violence against women.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)
- Authorities may monitor forums for patterns (e.g., repeated violent posts by a user) and cross-reference with real-world behavior, like purchasing firearms or posting manifestos, as seen with Elliot Rodger.[](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/incel-threat-secret-service-report/)
3. **Jurisdictional Policies**:
- **U.S.**: The FBI and Secret Service focus on behavioral threat assessments, looking for red flags like financial instability, bullying history, or explicit threats online. Fusion centers (e.g., Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center) share intelligence to track potential threats, but arrests require evidence of intent or action.[](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/16/involuntary-celibates-incels-threat-us-secret-service)[](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/incel-threat-secret-service-report/)[](https://reason.com/2025/01/14/heres-how-police-are-being-trained-to-deal-with-incels/)
- **Canada**: Canada has classified some incel-related violence as terrorism (e.g., 2020 Toronto attack), lowering the threshold for charges if ideology is a clear motivator.[](https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/02/incels-toronto-attack-terrorism-ideological-violence/)
- **UK/Europe**: The UK’s Prevent strategy labels incel ideology as a “mixed, unstable, or unclear” ideology, with arrests focusing on specific threats or radicalization signs.[](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/30/global-incel-culture-terrorism-misogyny-violent-action-forums)
4. **Monitoring Triggers**:
- A traffic spike could result from automated tools (e.g., bots used by the CCDH or law enforcement) detecting keywords like “kill,” “rape,” or references to past attackers (e.g., Elliot Rodger, mentioned 1,181 times in one month on incels.is). If these tools flag specific users or posts, authorities might investigate further, but arrests would still need concrete evidence.[](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/incels-rape-murder-study/)
- The 2024 Bondi stabbing attack in Australia, linked to incel ideology, led to increased forum monitoring, with posts showing a mix of sympathy and celebration. This suggests authorities may intensify scrutiny after such events, but they target individuals with clear intent.[](https://gnet-research.org/2025/01/09/ladies-and-gentlemen-were-all-domestic-terrorists-incels-on-the-bondi-attack/)
### Implications for “Edgy” Posts or Venting
- **Venting vs. Threats**: Posting crude, angry, or misogynistic content (e.g., venting about loneliness or societal rejection) is generally protected speech in the U.S. under the First Amendment, as long as it doesn’t cross into direct threats or incitement. For example, posts on incels.is like “Normies are brutal” or “Tinder makes me suicidal” (from a 2018 thread) are crude but not legally actionable unless they specify harm. However:[](https://incels.is/forums/inceldom-discussion.2/)
- **Context matters**: Repeated posts with violent language, even if vague, can draw attention, especially if a user’s history shows escalation or real-world behavior (e.g., Alek Minassian’s praise of Elliot Rodger before his 2018 attack).[](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/incel-threat-secret-service-report/)
- **Forum culture**: Studies show incels.is fosters an “us vs. them” mentality, with 89% of users supporting rape in some posts, per a 2022 CCDH report. This environment can blur the line between venting and radicalization, making users vulnerable to scrutiny if their posts are flagged.[](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/incels-rape-murder-study/)
- **Risk of misinterpretation**: Edgy or hyperbolic posts (e.g., “I want to burn it all down”) could be misconstrued, especially in a forum known for violent rhetoric. A 2021 study noted that incels express more anger than users on other platforms, and this tone can attract monitoring. If combined with other red flags (e.g., a user’s location or offline behavior), venting could lead to investigation, though not necessarily arrest without a clear threat.[](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38515296/)
- **Digital footprint**: Law enforcement uses tools to track user activity across platforms (e.g., linking incels.is posts to social media or real-world identities). A 2020 BlueLeaks document revealed fusion centers monitoring incel forums alongside other extremist groups. Even pseudonymous posts aren’t fully anonymous if authorities subpoena server data or trace IP addresses.[](https://reason.com/2025/01/14/heres-how-police-are-being-trained-to-deal-with-incels/)
### Is It Scary for Users?
- **Reason for concern**: If you’re posting on incels.is, the site’s reputation and history of violent incidents (50+ deaths linked since 2014) mean it’s under constant surveillance. A traffic spike to 40,000 could indicate a specific investigation, increasing the chance that posts are being archived or analyzed. For users venting in a crude manner, this scrutiny feels scary because it’s unclear where the line is drawn, especially in a forum where violent language is common (e.g., rape posts every 29 minutes).[](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/social-psychology/articles/10.3389/frsps.2024.1383152/full)[](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/incels-rape-murder-study/)
- **Protecting yourself**: To avoid legal risk:
- **Avoid specific threats**: Never mention targets, locations, or plans, even jokingly. Courts have convicted based on posts like “I’m gonna shoot up a mall” (e.g., Christopher Cleary).[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)
- **Limit engagement**: Studies show incel forums amplify anger and extremist language over time, which could unintentionally escalate your posts. Consider platforms like r/IncelExit, which focus on leaving the ideology and offer less toxic environments.[](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38515296/)[](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1ieo9dz/study_of_incel_forums_for_men_experiencing/)
- **Anonymity isn’t foolproof**: Incels.is may include “hidden visitors” (e.g., bots or undercover agents), and posts can be traced. Use caution with personal details.[](https://incels.is/forums/inceldom-discussion.2/)
- **Mental health perspective**: The fear of being targeted for venting reflects the broader issue of loneliness and distress in incel communities. A 2022 study found incels experience high rates of mental health issues, and forums can worsen this through “digital self-harm,” where users seek validation of negative feelings. Seeking support outside toxic echo chambers (e.g., therapy or non-extremist communities) could reduce both legal and emotional risks.[](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1ieo9dz/study_of_incel_forums_for_men_experiencing/)
### Critical Notes
- **Skepticism of narratives**: While authorities label incels a terrorism threat, some argue this risks overreach, conflating lonely, frustrated men with violent extremists. A 2021 analysis criticized terrorism studies for not fully engaging with misogyny’s broader societal roots, suggesting not all incel activity is ideological. Crude venting may be unfairly swept up in broad surveillance nets.[](https://icct.nl/publication/why-terrorism-studies-miss-the-mark-when-it-comes-to-incels/)
- **No specific 2025 arrests**: The search results mention no arrests directly tied to incels.is users in 2025, though the Bondi attack (2024) and ongoing Australian terrorism definition debates suggest continued focus on incel forums. The 40,000-visitor spike could be a one-off (e.g., a research scrape or bot swarm) rather than a prelude to mass arrests.[](https://gnet-research.org/2025/01/09/ladies-and-gentlemen-were-all-domestic-terrorists-incels-on-the-bondi-attack/)
- **Proactive moderation**: Incels.is moderators reportedly ban overt calls to violence to avoid legal trouble, but the forum’s culture still tolerates implicit violent language, per a 2024 study. This gray area makes it hard for users to know when they’re at risk.[](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/social-psychology/articles/10.3389/frsps.2024.1383152/full)
### Conclusion
The 40,000-visitor spike on incels.is likely reflects bot-driven monitoring or research rather than an immediate plan for arrests. However, the site’s history and violent rhetoric mean users are under scrutiny. Arrests require specific, credible threats or evidence of planning, as seen in past cases like Cleary or Minassian. Crude venting or edgy posts alone are unlikely to lead to arrests unless they cross into explicit threats or are paired with real-world actions. Still, the forum’s toxic environment and heavy surveillance make it risky, especially if posts escalate or are misread. To stay safe, avoid specific violent language, limit engagement, and consider healthier outlets for venting. If you have details about specific posts or events tied to the spike, I can refine this further.
AI is watching us boyos
A sudden spike in visitors to a website like incels.is from a typical 1,000 to over 40,000 is unusual and could have several explanations. Without direct access to real-time data or server logs from incels.is, I can provide informed speculation based on available patterns and insights from web analytics and online community behavior. Here are the likely scenarios, critically examined:
### Possible Explanations for the Spike
1. **Bots or Automated Traffic**:
- **Likelihood**: High. Sudden, massive increases in website traffic often stem from bots, especially for niche or controversial sites like incels.is. Bots could include:
- **Web crawlers**: Search engines or monitoring services (e.g., law enforcement, researchers, or organizations like the Center for Countering Digital Hate) may deploy bots to scrape content or track activity. These crawlers can generate thousands of simultaneous connections, inflating visitor counts.
- **Malicious bots**: DDoS attacks or scraping attempts by bad actors could temporarily overwhelm the site, appearing as a visitor surge.
- **Analytics inflation**: Some websites intentionally use bots to boost perceived popularity, though this is less likely for a community-driven forum like incels.is.
- **Evidence**: The discrepancy between registered users (likely in the low hundreds, as seen in reports of ~200 active users) and the 40,000 total visitors strongly suggests non-human traffic. Registered users require accounts, while "guests" (unregistered visitors) can include bots. A 2024 post on incels.is itself noted that guest users (potentially including bots) often outnumber registered users, as "normies" or automated systems visit to read content.[](https://incels.is/threads/is-the-number-of-users-on-is-increasing-or-decreasing.662133/)[](https://incels.is/threads/why-are-there-more-guest-users-than-bots-and-registered-users.656160/)
2. **Legitimate Human Visitors**:
- **Likelihood**: Low to moderate. A sudden jump to 40,000 real human visitors is improbable given the site’s niche audience and historical data. For context, incels.is reportedly had ~2.6 million monthly visits in 2022, averaging ~86,000 daily visits if evenly distributed. However, a real-time spike to 40,000 simultaneous users would require an extraordinary event, such as:[](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/incels-rape-murder-study/)
- **Media coverage**: A news story, documentary, or viral social media post about incels could drive curious visitors. For example, past incel-related incidents (e.g., the 2018 Toronto van attack) spiked interest in incel forums.[](https://phys.org/news/2023-02-incel-online-evolving-extreme.html)
- **Social media funneling**: Links shared on platforms like YouTube, Reddit, or TikTok could drive traffic. A 2022 study noted that YouTube links were posted over 14,000 times on incels.is, indicating strong ties to broader social media ecosystems.[](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1345861/links-to-sites-from-biggest-incel-forum-by-platform/)
- **Cultural moment**: A high-profile event tied to incel ideology (e.g., a public incident or influencer controversy) could draw attention. However, no specific 2025 event is referenced in available data to explain such a spike.
- **Counterpoint**: The site’s strict moderation (banning women and non-heterosexual users) and niche focus make it unlikely to attract 40,000 casual human visitors simultaneously. Most human traffic would likely be "lurkers" (non-posting readers), but even then, the scale of the spike is disproportionate to typical engagement.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)[](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/predicting-harm-among-incels-involuntary-celibates/predicting-harm-among-incels-involuntary-celibates-the-roles-of-mental-health-ideological-belief-and-social-networking-accessible)
3. **Technical Artifact or Error**:
- **Likelihood**: Moderate. The visitor count could be a glitch or misconfiguration in how incels.is tracks or displays traffic. For example:
- **Analytics misreporting**: If the site uses a tool like Google Analytics or a custom counter, it might mistakenly count page refreshes, API calls, or bot activity as unique visitors.
- **Server issues**: A temporary glitch in load balancing or caching could inflate reported numbers.
- **Hidden visitors**: Incels.is notes that "totals may include hidden visitors", suggesting the counter might include non-standard traffic (e.g., users on private browsing or VPNs).[](https://incels.is/threads/is-the-number-of-users-on-is-increasing-or-decreasing.662133/)
- **Evidence**: Without access to the site’s backend, it’s hard to confirm, but such errors are common in public-facing visitor counters, especially on smaller forums.
4. **Monitoring by External Entities**:
- **Likelihood**: Moderate to high. Given incels.is’s history of hosting violent and misogynistic content, it’s a target for monitoring by law enforcement, researchers, or advocacy groups. For instance:
- A 2020 Texas Department of Public Safety report labeled incels an "emerging domestic terrorism threat", and the U.S. Secret Service has investigated incel ideologies. Automated tools used by these groups could generate significant traffic.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)[](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/16/us/incel-involuntary-celibate-explained-cec/index.html)
- The Center for Countering Digital Hate’s 2022 report analyzed over 1 million posts on incels.is, indicating heavy scraping activity.[](https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62908601)
- **Implication**: Such monitoring could explain a sudden surge, as multiple agencies or researchers might deploy bots simultaneously, especially in response to a specific trigger (e.g., a reported threat or new study).
### Are They Bots or Real People?
- **Bots are more likely**: The scale of the spike (40,000 vs. a usual 1,000) and the gap between registered users (~200 active) and guests suggest automated traffic. Bots can easily generate thousands of hits, especially if multiple entities are monitoring or scraping simultaneously. The site’s controversial nature makes it a prime target for automated surveillance.
- **Real people are less likely**: While human curiosity could drive traffic (e.g., via media or social media), a 40-fold increase in simultaneous visitors is extreme for a niche forum without a clear external catalyst. Historical data shows incels.is had ~20,000 registered users in 2024, with only a fraction active at once, making a human-driven spike to 40,000 improbable.[](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/predicting-harm-among-incels-involuntary-celibates/predicting-harm-among-incels-involuntary-celibates-the-roles-of-mental-health-ideological-belief-and-social-networking-accessible)
- **Hybrid possibility**: The spike could include a mix of bots, researchers, journalists, and curious "normies" (as noted in incels.is discussions). However, bots likely dominate due to the sheer volume and suddenness.[](https://incels.is/threads/why-are-there-more-guest-users-than-bots-and-registered-users.656160/)
### Critical Notes
- **Lack of recent data**: No 2025-specific reports confirm a particular event tied to incels.is traffic. The spike could relate to an unreported incident or technical issue not covered in available sources.
- **Site’s own acknowledgment**: Incels.is users have speculated that guest traffic includes "normies" or bots, with one 2024 thread suggesting non-incels visit to read posts out of curiosity. This supports the idea that guest counts inflate due to external interest or automation.[](https://incels.is/threads/why-are-there-more-guest-users-than-bots-and-registered-users.656160/)
- **Skepticism of establishment narratives**: While monitoring by authorities is plausible, claims of incels as a broad "terrorism threat" should be scrutinized, as they may exaggerate the danger for political or funding purposes. Still, the site’s history of violent rhetoric justifies some level of surveillance, which could contribute to bot traffic.[](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9780135/)
### Conclusion
The sudden jump to 40,000 visitors on incels.is is most likely driven by bots, possibly from monitoring entities, researchers, or automated crawlers, given the site’s controversial status and the discrepancy with registered user counts. A smaller portion could be human lurkers drawn by media or social media, but the scale makes a purely human surge unlikely without a major public event. Technical errors in visitor tracking are also possible. To confirm, you’d need access to incels.is server logs or analytics, which isn’t publicly available. If you have more details (e.g., the exact date of the spike or related news), I can refine the analysis.
The sudden spike to 40,000 visitors on incels.is, as discussed previously, doesn’t directly indicate that arrests of forum users are imminent, but it does raise questions about heightened scrutiny, especially given the site’s history and the attention it receives from authorities. Below, I’ll address whether this traffic surge suggests arrests are likely, what it would take for arrests to occur, and the implications for users posting “edgy” or venting content versus making legitimate threats. I’ll incorporate relevant context from the provided search results while critically examining the situation.
### Does the Traffic Spike Mean Arrests Are Imminent?
- **Not necessarily**: A surge in visitors (likely bots, researchers, or monitoring entities, as concluded earlier) doesn’t automatically translate to arrests. It could reflect increased monitoring due to a specific event, such as a reported threat, a high-profile incident, or a new study, but there’s no direct evidence from the data or your query linking the 40,000-visitor spike to immediate law enforcement action.
- **Context of monitoring**: Incels.is is heavily watched by law enforcement, researchers, and organizations like the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), as noted in reports from 2020–2025. For example, the U.S. Secret Service and Texas Department of Public Safety have labeled incels an “emerging domestic terrorism threat” due to past violent incidents linked to the ideology (e.g., Elliot Rodger’s 2014 attack, Alek Minassian’s 2018 Toronto van attack). A traffic spike could indicate intensified scraping or surveillance, possibly in response to a specific post or external event, but arrests would depend on actionable evidence, not just visitor numbers.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)[](https://www.counterextremism.com/threat/incel-movement)[](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/incel-threat-secret-service-report/)
- **Historical precedent**: Arrests tied to incel forums have occurred, but they’re typically linked to specific, credible threats or actions. For instance:
- In 2019, Christopher Cleary was arrested for posting on Facebook about planning a mass shooting targeting women, explicitly referencing his incel status. He was sentenced to up to five years for attempted terrorism.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)
- In 2020, a 17-year-old in Toronto was charged with terrorism for a machete attack at a massage parlor, motivated by incel ideology.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)[](https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/02/incels-toronto-attack-terrorism-ideological-violence/)
- In 2021, Malik Sanchez was arrested for a hoax bomb threat and harassment, citing incel rage and praising Elliot Rodger.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)[](https://www.counterextremism.com/threat/incel-movement)
These cases involved clear threats or violent acts, not just forum participation or venting.
### What Would It Take for Arrests to Be Made?
For authorities to arrest users of incels.is or similar forums, specific legal thresholds must be met, varying by jurisdiction (e.g., U.S., Canada, UK). Here’s what’s typically required, based on legal standards and past cases:
1. **Credible and Specific Threats**:
- **Legal standard**: Arrests for online activity usually require a “true threat,” meaning a statement that a reasonable person would interpret as a serious intent to commit violence. In the U.S., this is governed by cases like *Virginia v. Black* (2003), which distinguishes protected speech (even if offensive) from threats. In Canada, the 2020 Toronto attack was prosecuted as terrorism because the act was explicitly tied to incel ideology.[](https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/02/incels-toronto-attack-terrorism-ideological-violence/)
- **Examples**: Posts like “I’m planning on shooting up a public place” (Christopher Cleary, 2019) or videos threatening to detonate a bomb (Malik Sanchez, 2021) led to arrests because they were specific and actionable. Vague rants or crude venting (e.g., “I hate women”) typically don’t meet this threshold unless they include a clear intent, target, or plan.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)
- **Forum context**: A 2024 study of incels.is found 21.91% of posts contained violent language (18.12% explicit, 3.79% implicit), but only a fraction would likely meet the legal threshold for a “true threat” due to the need for specificity.[](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/social-psychology/articles/10.3389/frsps.2024.1383152/full)
2. **Evidence of Planning or Action**:
- Arrests often follow evidence of preparation, such as acquiring weapons or materials. For example, Cole Carini (2020) was charged after injuring himself while building a bomb, with notes referencing violence against women.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)
- Authorities may monitor forums for patterns (e.g., repeated violent posts by a user) and cross-reference with real-world behavior, like purchasing firearms or posting manifestos, as seen with Elliot Rodger.[](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/incel-threat-secret-service-report/)
3. **Jurisdictional Policies**:
- **U.S.**: The FBI and Secret Service focus on behavioral threat assessments, looking for red flags like financial instability, bullying history, or explicit threats online. Fusion centers (e.g., Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center) share intelligence to track potential threats, but arrests require evidence of intent or action.[](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/16/involuntary-celibates-incels-threat-us-secret-service)[](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/incel-threat-secret-service-report/)[](https://reason.com/2025/01/14/heres-how-police-are-being-trained-to-deal-with-incels/)
- **Canada**: Canada has classified some incel-related violence as terrorism (e.g., 2020 Toronto attack), lowering the threshold for charges if ideology is a clear motivator.[](https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/02/incels-toronto-attack-terrorism-ideological-violence/)
- **UK/Europe**: The UK’s Prevent strategy labels incel ideology as a “mixed, unstable, or unclear” ideology, with arrests focusing on specific threats or radicalization signs.[](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/30/global-incel-culture-terrorism-misogyny-violent-action-forums)
4. **Monitoring Triggers**:
- A traffic spike could result from automated tools (e.g., bots used by the CCDH or law enforcement) detecting keywords like “kill,” “rape,” or references to past attackers (e.g., Elliot Rodger, mentioned 1,181 times in one month on incels.is). If these tools flag specific users or posts, authorities might investigate further, but arrests would still need concrete evidence.[](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/incels-rape-murder-study/)
- The 2024 Bondi stabbing attack in Australia, linked to incel ideology, led to increased forum monitoring, with posts showing a mix of sympathy and celebration. This suggests authorities may intensify scrutiny after such events, but they target individuals with clear intent.[](https://gnet-research.org/2025/01/09/ladies-and-gentlemen-were-all-domestic-terrorists-incels-on-the-bondi-attack/)
### Implications for “Edgy” Posts or Venting
- **Venting vs. Threats**: Posting crude, angry, or misogynistic content (e.g., venting about loneliness or societal rejection) is generally protected speech in the U.S. under the First Amendment, as long as it doesn’t cross into direct threats or incitement. For example, posts on incels.is like “Normies are brutal” or “Tinder makes me suicidal” (from a 2018 thread) are crude but not legally actionable unless they specify harm. However:[](https://incels.is/forums/inceldom-discussion.2/)
- **Context matters**: Repeated posts with violent language, even if vague, can draw attention, especially if a user’s history shows escalation or real-world behavior (e.g., Alek Minassian’s praise of Elliot Rodger before his 2018 attack).[](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/incel-threat-secret-service-report/)
- **Forum culture**: Studies show incels.is fosters an “us vs. them” mentality, with 89% of users supporting rape in some posts, per a 2022 CCDH report. This environment can blur the line between venting and radicalization, making users vulnerable to scrutiny if their posts are flagged.[](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/incels-rape-murder-study/)
- **Risk of misinterpretation**: Edgy or hyperbolic posts (e.g., “I want to burn it all down”) could be misconstrued, especially in a forum known for violent rhetoric. A 2021 study noted that incels express more anger than users on other platforms, and this tone can attract monitoring. If combined with other red flags (e.g., a user’s location or offline behavior), venting could lead to investigation, though not necessarily arrest without a clear threat.[](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38515296/)
- **Digital footprint**: Law enforcement uses tools to track user activity across platforms (e.g., linking incels.is posts to social media or real-world identities). A 2020 BlueLeaks document revealed fusion centers monitoring incel forums alongside other extremist groups. Even pseudonymous posts aren’t fully anonymous if authorities subpoena server data or trace IP addresses.[](https://reason.com/2025/01/14/heres-how-police-are-being-trained-to-deal-with-incels/)
### Is It Scary for Users?
- **Reason for concern**: If you’re posting on incels.is, the site’s reputation and history of violent incidents (50+ deaths linked since 2014) mean it’s under constant surveillance. A traffic spike to 40,000 could indicate a specific investigation, increasing the chance that posts are being archived or analyzed. For users venting in a crude manner, this scrutiny feels scary because it’s unclear where the line is drawn, especially in a forum where violent language is common (e.g., rape posts every 29 minutes).[](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/social-psychology/articles/10.3389/frsps.2024.1383152/full)[](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/incels-rape-murder-study/)
- **Protecting yourself**: To avoid legal risk:
- **Avoid specific threats**: Never mention targets, locations, or plans, even jokingly. Courts have convicted based on posts like “I’m gonna shoot up a mall” (e.g., Christopher Cleary).[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel)
- **Limit engagement**: Studies show incel forums amplify anger and extremist language over time, which could unintentionally escalate your posts. Consider platforms like r/IncelExit, which focus on leaving the ideology and offer less toxic environments.[](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38515296/)[](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1ieo9dz/study_of_incel_forums_for_men_experiencing/)
- **Anonymity isn’t foolproof**: Incels.is may include “hidden visitors” (e.g., bots or undercover agents), and posts can be traced. Use caution with personal details.[](https://incels.is/forums/inceldom-discussion.2/)
- **Mental health perspective**: The fear of being targeted for venting reflects the broader issue of loneliness and distress in incel communities. A 2022 study found incels experience high rates of mental health issues, and forums can worsen this through “digital self-harm,” where users seek validation of negative feelings. Seeking support outside toxic echo chambers (e.g., therapy or non-extremist communities) could reduce both legal and emotional risks.[](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1ieo9dz/study_of_incel_forums_for_men_experiencing/)
### Critical Notes
- **Skepticism of narratives**: While authorities label incels a terrorism threat, some argue this risks overreach, conflating lonely, frustrated men with violent extremists. A 2021 analysis criticized terrorism studies for not fully engaging with misogyny’s broader societal roots, suggesting not all incel activity is ideological. Crude venting may be unfairly swept up in broad surveillance nets.[](https://icct.nl/publication/why-terrorism-studies-miss-the-mark-when-it-comes-to-incels/)
- **No specific 2025 arrests**: The search results mention no arrests directly tied to incels.is users in 2025, though the Bondi attack (2024) and ongoing Australian terrorism definition debates suggest continued focus on incel forums. The 40,000-visitor spike could be a one-off (e.g., a research scrape or bot swarm) rather than a prelude to mass arrests.[](https://gnet-research.org/2025/01/09/ladies-and-gentlemen-were-all-domestic-terrorists-incels-on-the-bondi-attack/)
- **Proactive moderation**: Incels.is moderators reportedly ban overt calls to violence to avoid legal trouble, but the forum’s culture still tolerates implicit violent language, per a 2024 study. This gray area makes it hard for users to know when they’re at risk.[](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/social-psychology/articles/10.3389/frsps.2024.1383152/full)
### Conclusion
The 40,000-visitor spike on incels.is likely reflects bot-driven monitoring or research rather than an immediate plan for arrests. However, the site’s history and violent rhetoric mean users are under scrutiny. Arrests require specific, credible threats or evidence of planning, as seen in past cases like Cleary or Minassian. Crude venting or edgy posts alone are unlikely to lead to arrests unless they cross into explicit threats or are paired with real-world actions. Still, the forum’s toxic environment and heavy surveillance make it risky, especially if posts escalate or are misread. To stay safe, avoid specific violent language, limit engagement, and consider healthier outlets for venting. If you have details about specific posts or events tied to the spike, I can refine this further.
AI is watching us boyos
any llm is just wordslop generator that imitates intelligence by hitting the chracter limit, retarded faggot
Blame the ai then not me, I just thought it was funny what it seems to know. I gotta fucking leave this place if I’m just gonna be called a retarded faggot, I got bullied enough in school already.
Most critical pieces of information that I got from that AI babble. Take this seriously guys. Do not glow post on this forum. Keep some of your more based thoughts to yourself. Not everything you are thinking needs to be expressed online.
i think they're bots. why do they change in number so quickly compared to just months ago?
most glowposts are IT bait threads anyway
True, but it's not worth it. Getting featured on IT is not worth potentially getting yourself in legal trouble. Be smart and stay safe
if i could ban one site, it'd be reddit. hands down!True, but it's not worth it. Getting featured on IT is not worth potentially getting yourself in legal trouble. Be smart and stay safe
You can literally see the number of bots lol. Those might be bots that Xenforo doesn’t recognise as such, though.
Some bots. However I think as journalists are here, I think more victims of hypergamy and I think the public are more interested, could be curiosity or more sinister reasons
I think they’re bots
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