The archive was founded in 2001 by Internet activists who were concerned that the unregulated private practice of sending cease-and-desist letters seemed to be increasing and was having an unstudied, but potentially significant, "
chilling effect" on free speech. The archive got a boost when
Google began submitting its notices to the site in 2002. Google began to do so in response when the
Church of Scientology convinced Google to remove references and links to an anti-Scientology web site,
Operation Clambake, in April 2002. The incident inspired vocal Internet users and groups to complain to Google, and links to the Clambake site were restored. Google subsequently began to contribute its notices to Chilling Effects, archiving the Scientology complaints and linking to the archive. Starting in 2002, researchers used the clearinghouse to study the use of cease-and-desist letters, primarily looking at
Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) 512
takedown notices, non-DMCA copyright issues, and trademark claims. On November 2, 2015, Chilling Effects announced its renaming to Lumen, as well as a number of international partnerships. ==Reception==