#sitedeath — Public Fediverse posts

Pitchfork: SoundCloud Acquires What’s Left of Nina Protocol. “Nearly two months after Nina Protocol announced it was shutting down, the free, independent music platform has been acquired by SoundCloud. The agreement allows SoundCloud to inherent Nina Protocol’s editorial archive, genre map, and—if artists choose to opt into SoundCloud’s ‘creator ecosystem’—their music catalogues.”

Pitchfork: SoundCloud Acquires What’s Left of Nina Protocol. “Nearly two months after Nina Protocol announced it was shutting down, the free, independent music platform has been acquired by SoundCloud. The agreement allows SoundCloud to inherent Nina Protocol’s editorial archive, genre map, and—if artists choose to opt into SoundCloud’s ‘creator ecosystem’—their music catalogues.”

The Register: Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to stop accepting new customers – and not even AI can save it. “Earlier this week, AWS added the Amazon SageMaker AI – Mechanical Turk service to its list of ‘Services in Maintenance’ – AWS-speak for services it will soon retire. The Mechanical Turk website also added a warning that it will ‘be closed to new customers, effective July 30, 2026. […]

The Register: Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to stop accepting new customers – and not even AI can save it. “Earlier this week, AWS added the Amazon SageMaker AI – Mechanical Turk service to its list of ‘Services in Maintenance’ – AWS-speak for services it will soon retire. The Mechanical Turk website also added a warning that it will ‘be closed to new customers, effective July 30, 2026. […]

Daily Nous: Kant Studies Online: No Longer Online. “What happens to the articles published in an online-only journal when that journal not only ceases to publish, but ceases to exist? That question is raised by the case of Kant Studies Online, an online only, open-access philosophy journal that published articles between 2011 and 2016, the website of which is no longer accessible. The journal […]

Daily Nous: Kant Studies Online: No Longer Online. “What happens to the articles published in an online-only journal when that journal not only ceases to publish, but ceases to exist? That question is raised by the case of Kant Studies Online, an online only, open-access philosophy journal that published articles between 2011 and 2016, the website of which is no longer accessible. The journal […]

Digital History at University of Houston: Important update: Please read this announcement.. “After nearly 25 years of service to students and educators worldwide, Digital History will cease operation on May 31, 2026…. This resource has served millions of users, providing free, reliable content as an alternative to expensive textbooks. However, maintaining the site now requires extensive […]

Digital History at University of Houston: Important update: Please read this announcement.. “After nearly 25 years of service to students and educators worldwide, Digital History will cease operation on May 31, 2026…. This resource has served millions of users, providing free, reliable content as an alternative to expensive textbooks. However, maintaining the site now requires extensive […]

Associated Press: Eulogy for the CIA Factbook: The free standard for world facts, long an educational staple, is gone. “Its authors — some of the world’s best intelligence-gatherers, who contributed thousands of their own photos — kept the curated database updated and online for public use at no charge.”

Associated Press: Eulogy for the CIA Factbook: The free standard for world facts, long an educational staple, is gone. “Its authors — some of the world’s best intelligence-gatherers, who contributed thousands of their own photos — kept the curated database updated and online for public use at no charge.”

Gizmodo: VR Just Took Another Massive Body Blow. “This week, Rec Room, a popular VR meeting place and metaverse of sorts, announced that it would be shutting down on June 1. The reason? Business, of course.”

Gizmodo: VR Just Took Another Massive Body Blow. “This week, Rec Room, a popular VR meeting place and metaverse of sorts, announced that it would be shutting down on June 1. The reason? Business, of course.”

Hong Kong Free Press: Yahoo Hong Kong to begin ‘phased wind-down’ of news business in April. “Yahoo Hong Kong’s pivot to original content in 2021 allowed the company to fill a gap left behind by independent outlets Apple Daily and Stand News, which shut down that year in the wake of the Beijing-imposed national security law.”

Hong Kong Free Press: Yahoo Hong Kong to begin ‘phased wind-down’ of news business in April. “Yahoo Hong Kong’s pivot to original content in 2021 allowed the company to fill a gap left behind by independent outlets Apple Daily and Stand News, which shut down that year in the wake of the Beijing-imposed national security law.”

Hold the Front Page: Labour u-turns on court archive deletion. “A move to permanently delete five years of court records from a widely-used journalism resource has been halted after a government u-turn. As previously reported on HTFP, HM Courts and Tribunal service had ordered the deletion of the Courtsdesk archive, an online tool which helped reporters search through magistrates’ court lists […]

Hold the Front Page: Labour u-turns on court archive deletion. “A move to permanently delete five years of court records from a widely-used journalism resource has been halted after a government u-turn. As previously reported on HTFP, HM Courts and Tribunal service had ordered the deletion of the Courtsdesk archive, an online tool which helped reporters search through magistrates’ court lists […]

Arkansas Times: New group aims to keep PBS programming in Arkansas. “Friends of Arkansas PBS, a newly formed, citizen-led group that hopes to preserve programming from the national Public Broadcasting Service in Arkansas, is hosting its first talk on Thursday. Former Arkansas First Ladies Barbara Pryor and Gay White will serve as honorary co-chairs and are urging people to join, according to a […]

Arkansas Times: New group aims to keep PBS programming in Arkansas. “Friends of Arkansas PBS, a newly formed, citizen-led group that hopes to preserve programming from the national Public Broadcasting Service in Arkansas, is hosting its first talk on Thursday. Former Arkansas First Ladies Barbara Pryor and Gay White will serve as honorary co-chairs and are urging people to join, according to a […]

Legal Cheek: Ministry of Justice orders deletion of the UK’s largest court reporting database. “Courtsdesk will reportedly be deleted within days after HM Courts & Tribunals Service ordered every record wiped. The platform had been used by more than 1,500 reporters from 39 media outlets to search magistrates’ court lists and registers, but the move has triggered warnings that important […]

Legal Cheek: Ministry of Justice orders deletion of the UK’s largest court reporting database. “Courtsdesk will reportedly be deleted within days after HM Courts & Tribunals Service ordered every record wiped. The platform had been used by more than 1,500 reporters from 39 media outlets to search magistrates’ court lists and registers, but the move has triggered warnings that important […]

Spotted in my email alerts, I think: AppSumo Graveyard. “Inspired by Google Graveyard. We track every AppSumo product that shut down, pivoted, or abandoned its LTD users.” Not much here yet, looks like it just launched.

Spotted in my email alerts, I think: AppSumo Graveyard. “Inspired by Google Graveyard. We track every AppSumo product that shut down, pivoted, or abandoned its LTD users.” Not much here yet, looks like it just launched.

Lifehacker: Google Shut Down Its Dark Web Monitoring Tool, so Here’s What to Use Instead. “In other words, instead of flagging when your account credentials appear in a data breach, Google wants to make sure that your accounts stay safe even if a breach has occurred. There are reasons why you should be keeping an eye on dark web chatter, however—and there are tools to take over the monitoring […]

Lifehacker: Google Shut Down Its Dark Web Monitoring Tool, so Here’s What to Use Instead. “In other words, instead of flagging when your account credentials appear in a data breach, Google wants to make sure that your accounts stay safe even if a breach has occurred. There are reasons why you should be keeping an eye on dark web chatter, however—and there are tools to take over the monitoring […]

CIA: Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell. “One of CIA’s oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications, The World Factbook, has sunset. The World Factbook served the Intelligence Community and the general public as a longstanding, one-stop basic reference about countries and communities around the globe.” I am very upset and hope someone comes to the rescue.

CIA: Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell. “One of CIA’s oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications, The World Factbook, has sunset. The World Factbook served the Intelligence Community and the general public as a longstanding, one-stop basic reference about countries and communities around the globe.” I am very upset and hope someone comes to the rescue.

CoinDesk: One of the oldest NFT trading platform which facilitated over $300 million in sales at its peak shuts down. “Nifty Gateway, an NFT platform, will shut down on February 23, 2026, and has entered withdrawal-only mode, allowing users one month to move their NFTs and funds. The platform, which once facilitated over $300 million in sales, had shifted its focus to building onchain creative […]

CoinDesk: One of the oldest NFT trading platform which facilitated over $300 million in sales at its peak shuts down. “Nifty Gateway, an NFT platform, will shut down on February 23, 2026, and has entered withdrawal-only mode, allowing users one month to move their NFTs and funds. The platform, which once facilitated over $300 million in sales, had shifted its focus to building onchain creative […]

TidBITS: MacUpdater Shuts Down, Leaving Users Searching for Alternatives. “For the past eight years, MacUpdater has been a go-to utility for those who want a unified way to keep all their macOS apps up to date. It could scan the apps on your Mac, compare them against a regularly updated database of over 100,000 apps, and update many of them with a single click. However, CoreCode, MacUpdater’s […]

TidBITS: MacUpdater Shuts Down, Leaving Users Searching for Alternatives. “For the past eight years, MacUpdater has been a go-to utility for those who want a unified way to keep all their macOS apps up to date. It could scan the apps on your Mac, compare them against a regularly updated database of over 100,000 apps, and update many of them with a single click. However, CoreCode, MacUpdater’s […]

Mashable: In Memoriam: All the tech that died in 2025. “Some of the entries on our in memorium list lived long, fruitful lives and contributed lasting legacies to the ever-evolving technology space. (RIP, Skype.) Others were flash-in-the-pan features or straight-up flops (we’re looking at you, Humane AI Pin), destined to meet an early death. Regardless, they’re all worthy of remembering for the […]

Mashable: In Memoriam: All the tech that died in 2025. “Some of the entries on our in memorium list lived long, fruitful lives and contributed lasting legacies to the ever-evolving technology space. (RIP, Skype.) Others were flash-in-the-pan features or straight-up flops (we’re looking at you, Humane AI Pin), destined to meet an early death. Regardless, they’re all worthy of remembering for the […]

Urban Milwaukee: After Shutdown, WisconsinEye Discussing Future With Legislators. “Due to a lack of funding, WisconsinEye halted its livestream coverage of state government on Monday and pulled down its video archive of over 30,000 hours of state government proceedings, candidate interviews and other programming. WisconsinEye launched in 2007 as an independent, nonprofit organization funded […]

Urban Milwaukee: After Shutdown, WisconsinEye Discussing Future With Legislators. “Due to a lack of funding, WisconsinEye halted its livestream coverage of state government on Monday and pulled down its video archive of over 30,000 hours of state government proceedings, candidate interviews and other programming. WisconsinEye launched in 2007 as an independent, nonprofit organization funded […]

In Business Madison: WisEye to end event coverage Dec. 15, shut down video archive. “WisconsinEye Public Affairs Network, a nonprofit organization that broadcasts state capitol events, announced it will end event coverage and take its video archive of over 30,000 hours offline on Dec. 15 due to a lack of funding.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/11/25/in-business-madison-wiseye-to-end-event-coverage-dec-15-shut-down-video-archive/

In Business Madison: WisEye to end event coverage Dec. 15, shut down video archive. “WisconsinEye Public Affairs Network, a nonprofit organization that broadcasts state capitol events, announced it will end event coverage and take its video archive of over 30,000 hours offline on Dec. 15 due to a lack of funding.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/11/25/in-business-madison-wiseye-to-end-event-coverage-dec-15-shut-down-video-archive/

The Music: Australian Music Database Jaxsta Announces Its Closure. “Just under two years since it became part of the larger Vinyl Group, Australian music database Jaxsta has announced it will close down next month.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/11/22/the-music-australian-music-database-jaxsta-announces-its-closure/

The Music: Australian Music Database Jaxsta Announces Its Closure. “Just under two years since it became part of the larger Vinyl Group, Australian music database Jaxsta has announced it will close down next month.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/11/22/the-music-australian-music-database-jaxsta-announces-its-closure/

Phil Gyford: Downloading a TypePad blog. “TypePad is closing down at the end of September 2025 and I recently downloaded some TypePad blogs for a couple of friends. Here’s how I did it, and how I fixed a few things afterwards.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/09/16/phil-gyford-downloading-a-typepad-blog/

Phil Gyford: Downloading a TypePad blog. “TypePad is closing down at the end of September 2025 and I recently downloaded some TypePad blogs for a couple of friends. Here’s how I did it, and how I fixed a few things afterwards.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/09/16/phil-gyford-downloading-a-typepad-blog/

Rascal: Tiny Table Index, a directory for small and solo TTRPGs, has shuttered. “A directory for solo and duet RPGs, Tiny Table Index was largely reliant on [Luke] Miller and the community to submit and tag new entries. However, Tiny Table Index was recently shuttered by the creator himself.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/09/08/rascal-tiny-table-index-a-directory-for-small-and-solo-ttrpgs-has-shuttered/

Rascal: Tiny Table Index, a directory for small and solo TTRPGs, has shuttered. “A directory for solo and duet RPGs, Tiny Table Index was largely reliant on [Luke] Miller and the community to submit and tag new entries. However, Tiny Table Index was recently shuttered by the creator himself.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/09/08/rascal-tiny-table-index-a-directory-for-small-and-solo-ttrpgs-has-shuttered/

Engadget: The largest illegal sports streaming service has been shut down after sting operation. “The sports broadcasting piracy network Streameast has been shut down after it was investigated for a year by a US-based anti-piracy group. Streameast is the largest illegal sports streaming platform in the world, and while active it offered its users free access to 80 unauthorised domains.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/09/04/engadget-the-largest-illegal-sports-streaming-service-has-been-shut-down-after-sting-operation/

Engadget: The largest illegal sports streaming service has been shut down after sting operation. “The sports broadcasting piracy network Streameast has been shut down after it was investigated for a year by a US-based anti-piracy group. Streameast is the largest illegal sports streaming platform in the world, and while active it offered its users free access to 80 unauthorised domains.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/09/04/engadget-the-largest-illegal-sports-streaming-service-has-been-shut-down-after-sting-operation/

Everything Typepad: Typepad is shutting down. “After September 30, 2025, access to Typepad – including account management, blogs, and all associated content – will no longer be available. Your account and all related services will be permanently deactivated. Please note that after this date, you will no longer be able to access or export any blog content.” Get information on exporting […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/08/30/everything-typepad-typepad-is-shutting-down/

Android Authority: Google backpedals on plans to totally kill this legacy service. “Google has updated the blog post where it announced the shutdown of Google URL Shortener. In the update, the Mountain View-based firm states that it has reconsidered discontinuing support for all goo.gl URLs. Despite claiming earlier that 99% of these links had no activity in June, Google says it received […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/08/02/android-authority-google-backpedals-on-plans-to-totally-kill-this-legacy-service/

The Verge: News publishers take paywall-blocker 12ft.io offline. “The News/Media Alliance, a trade association behind major news publishers, announced that it has ‘successfully secured’ the removal of 12ft.io, a website that helped users bypass paywalls online.” If you’re running into lots of paywalls, check out my article on getting around them. My methods don’t involve hopping paywalls but […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/07/21/the-verge-news-publishers-take-paywall-blocker-12ft-io-offline/

Kotaku: Beloved 27-Year-Old Gaming Site Wipes Forums, Relaunches As A Gambling Affiliate Cash-Grab. “The site, primarily run by volunteers and enthusiasts, has fought for the much-maligned adventure gaming genre through thick and thin for almost three decades, but visit today and you’ll find more ‘reviews’ of gambling sites and slot machine games than the latest adventure releases. And for […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/06/27/kotaku-beloved-27-year-old-gaming-site-wipes-forums-relaunches-as-a-gambling-affiliate-cash-grab/

Kotaku: Beloved 27-Year-Old Gaming Site Wipes Forums, Relaunches As A Gambling Affiliate Cash-Grab. “The site, primarily run by volunteers and enthusiasts, has fought for the much-maligned adventure gaming genre through thick and thin for almost three decades, but visit today and you’ll find more ‘reviews’ of gambling sites and slot machine games than the latest adventure releases. And for […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/06/27/kotaku-beloved-27-year-old-gaming-site-wipes-forums-relaunches-as-a-gambling-affiliate-cash-grab/

Tubefilter: #BookTok is still booming. So why is TikTok getting out of publishing?. “#BookTok seems to be as big as it’s ever been, which makes the recent developments at TikTok’s publishing wing a bit of a surprise. According to The Bookseller, the ByteDance-owned platform is sunsetting 8th Note Press, a literary entity initially launched in 2023.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/06/22/tubefilter-booktok-is-still-booming-so-why-is-tiktok-getting-out-of-publishing/

Mashable: Pocket is shutting down. Here are the read-later app alternatives.. “Pocket may be saying goodbye, but plenty of bookmarking and read-later platforms are still alive and kicking. If you’re looking for a read-later service like Pocket, Instapaper and Readwise are two popular options.” Also Raindrop, which I use and heartily recommend. I have no financial relationship with them except […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/05/30/mashable-pocket-is-shutting-down-here-are-the-read-later-app-alternatives/

Lifehacker: How to Export Your Saved Articles Before Pocket Shuts Down for Good. “As of today, Pocket is no longer available in app stores or as a browser add-on, and all sign-ups and renewals have been disabled. The app will shut down for good on July 8, and transition to export-only mode. Users will have until Oct. 8 to export their saves, after which all accounts and data will be deleted.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/05/27/lifehacker-how-to-export-your-saved-articles-before-pocket-shuts-down-for-good/

TechCrunch: Mozilla is shutting down read-it-later app Pocket. “Mozilla announced on Thursday that it’s shutting down Pocket, a read-it-later app it acquired in 2017, on July 8. The company is also shutting down Fakespot, its browser extension that helps users identify unreliable reviews.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/05/23/techcrunch-mozilla-is-shutting-down-read-it-later-app-pocket/