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Rotter.net: Israel's Pioneering Internet Platform
Rotter.net has played a significant role in shaping the landscape of online media in Israel, particularly in user-generated news and discussion. With its diversified content and active forums, it remains a prominent platform for engaging with various aspects of Israeli society and current affairs.
Rotter.net, founded in 1997, is an Israeli website primarily in Hebrew. It covers a wide range of topics, including current events, computers, consumerism, economics, and the ultra-Orthodox world. Rotter.net was among the first Israeli websites to publish user-generated scoops and news.
As of September 2019, according to Alexa Internet's website rankings, Rotter.net stood at approximately the 50th position among the most popular websites in Israel.
The website was established in 1997 by a 12-year-old boy from Haifa named Noam Rotter. In 2001, the website came under the management of Noam's father, Rabbi Yeshayahu Rotter (March 2, 1953 - June 12, 2012). Following Rabbi Rotter's passing, the website has been managed by his son Noam, Noam's wife Rachel, and other undisclosed administrators.
At the end of 2001, a dispute with the website's management and owner, Yeshayahu Rotter, led key members, along with the site's webmaster and four technical administrators, to leave the forum system. They subsequently founded the "Farsh" website.
In 2002, the "Document Disclosure" forum, managed by "Shachaf Filovich" (a pseudonym for Meir Meshulam), was established. The forum contained a large database of documents collected and compiled by users, documenting various aspects of public life, including figures like Shimon Peres, Yonatan Pollard, and Abu Mazen, as well as events such as the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Yemenite children affair.
In September 2002, the website introduced a service for sending SMS messages to subscribers regarding breaking news events such as terrorist attacks. In May 2003, it added the option to send "on-the-ground" reports via SMS, which were directly posted on the forum. This service is no longer active as of 2017.
In 2005, Shlomi Butzchou sued the website, alleging that it had used his photos for an extended period without giving him credit. The court accepted Butzchou's claim, ruling that the website must compensate him with 50,000 shekels for copyright infringement, in addition to legal expenses. The judge criticized the defendant for denying the claims as "false and malicious."
In 2011, the District Court in the Central District ruled that Rotter.net and its owners were not responsible for copyright violations related to links to infringing sites posted within the forum system. This was due to the site's operation of a "notice and takedown" policy, whereby it removed links to infringing content upon receipt of a takedown notice.
In 2014, the website introduced a news page in English, summarizing news from Israel and around the world. In 2015, it launched the "Red WhatsApp" service, allowing users to send messages, images, and videos to forum administrators through WhatsApp. This service was later discontinued. In the same year, the "Media Critique" forum was established to highlight media biases and inaccuracies not suitable for the "Scoops" forum.
The website primarily focuses on two main areas:
1. Current Events and User Scoops: Rotter.net gained prominence for allowing users to publish news scoops. It covers a wide range of current events, often featuring breaking news and exclusive stories contributed by users.
2. Consumerism and Economics: In 2015, the platform expanded to include additional forums on consumerism and economics, allowing users to discuss and share information on these topics.
Ranking and Popularity
As of September 2019, according to Alexa Internet's website rankings, Rotter.net stood at approximately the 50th position among the most popular websites in Israel.
History
The website was established in 1997 by a 12-year-old boy from Haifa named Noam Rotter. In 2001, the website came under the management of Noam's father, Rabbi Yeshayahu Rotter (March 2, 1953 - June 12, 2012). Following Rabbi Rotter's passing, the website has been managed by his son Noam, Noam's wife Rachel, and other undisclosed administrators.
At the end of 2001, a dispute with the website's management and owner, Yeshayahu Rotter, led key members, along with the site's webmaster and four technical administrators, to leave the forum system. They subsequently founded the "Farsh" website.
In 2002, the "Document Disclosure" forum, managed by "Shachaf Filovich" (a pseudonym for Meir Meshulam), was established. The forum contained a large database of documents collected and compiled by users, documenting various aspects of public life, including figures like Shimon Peres, Yonatan Pollard, and Abu Mazen, as well as events such as the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Yemenite children affair.
In September 2002, the website introduced a service for sending SMS messages to subscribers regarding breaking news events such as terrorist attacks. In May 2003, it added the option to send "on-the-ground" reports via SMS, which were directly posted on the forum. This service is no longer active as of 2017.
In 2005, Shlomi Butzchou sued the website, alleging that it had used his photos for an extended period without giving him credit. The court accepted Butzchou's claim, ruling that the website must compensate him with 50,000 shekels for copyright infringement, in addition to legal expenses. The judge criticized the defendant for denying the claims as "false and malicious."
In 2011, the District Court in the Central District ruled that Rotter.net and its owners were not responsible for copyright violations related to links to infringing sites posted within the forum system. This was due to the site's operation of a "notice and takedown" policy, whereby it removed links to infringing content upon receipt of a takedown notice.
In 2014, the website introduced a news page in English, summarizing news from Israel and around the world. In 2015, it launched the "Red WhatsApp" service, allowing users to send messages, images, and videos to forum administrators through WhatsApp. This service was later discontinued. In the same year, the "Media Critique" forum was established to highlight media biases and inaccuracies not suitable for the "Scoops" forum.
Areas of Coverage
The website primarily focuses on two main areas:
1. Current Events and User Scoops: Rotter.net gained prominence for allowing users to publish news scoops. It covers a wide range of current events, often featuring breaking news and exclusive stories contributed by users.
2. Consumerism and Economics: In 2015, the platform expanded to include additional forums on consumerism and economics, allowing users to discuss and share information on these topics.
- רוטר.נטhe.wikipedia.org
