[simonw]

"The old services database (registered nicknames, channels, etc.) is apparently gone. All of your registered nicknames and channels are gone. Anyone who wishes to continue to use Freenode (though at this point I honestly can't imagine why anyone would want to) must re-register their nickname.

[...]

It's literally open season for anyone who wants to impersonate someone else, steal their nickname, or take over someone else's channel."

That's astonishingly short-sighted thinking, even by the already rock-bottom standards of the current Freenode management team.

[marcan_42]

It's not even open season; the way IRC works, a random user has now been appointed the sole operator and owner of each channel (whoever connected first). You don't even need someone to want to take over your channel; it's been taken over for you. If you're lucky, and they're a nice person (and not an idle bouncer) they might give it back to you. Maybe.