Misconception #1: Cyrus Sullivan Operates Illegal Businesses
Cyrus Sullivan knows all too well that barely legal can be worse than most crimes
in the eyes of the public, especially when it comes to commercial ventures that
most people would ban if they could vote on them. He also knows all too well that
the mainstream news media cares more about ratings than the truth and don’t mind
making well dressed, well groomed, well educated, intelligent, and innocent young
men look like “the scum of the earth” as one journalist labeled Cyrus during a part
of his first on camera interview that was lost on the cutting room floor along with
answers to critical questions and any proper legal analysis that may have been recorded.
As a result some people have accused Cyrus’s business of operating illegally in the past.
In Cyrus’s case he owns a network of online publishing services that allow anyone
who signs up for a free membership to post information online anonymously if they
choose. Most of his best known work can be categorized as gripe sites, complaint
sites, and whistleblower websites that allow people to expose people, groups, and
businesses for various wrongdoings. As an online service provider Cyrus is protected
by law from legal liability related to the abuse of his websites as far as UGC is
concerned due to the Communications Decency Act (CDA) as well as other statues protecting the press and free speech.
Cyrus’s status as a fully protected service provider falls on deaf ears for some
because of how some people like to sensationalize the types of accusations others
make on his sites. In some cases they point out how publishing some types of information
is criminal in one jurisdiction or another, but fail to mention the fact that publishing such information is perfectly legal where Cyrus lives.