James GordonGab tweeted Thursday that he had 2.3 million new users last week. According to Gab, people visited Gab 55 million times and viewed 100 million pages on the social network during this period.
The platform has been criticized for being filled with hate speech and aggression. Therefore, like Parler, it has been rejected by most of the major technology companies that serve as gateways to the Internet. Therefore, during the recent increase in traffic, Gab experienced difficulties in keeping its platform functioning properly.
The talk seems to be about to return to the internet after its release on the 10th. Janvier was banned from Amazon Web Services. The website posted a message from Parler’s CEO, John Matze, on Sunday night, saying that we will solve all the problems we are facing and that we plan to welcome you all in the near future. We will not let civil discourse die!
Founded in 2016, Gab sees itself as a free speech social network with a mission to protect, defend and preserve online freedom of expression for all, as described on its website.
The platform looks like a cross between Twitter (TWTR) and Facebook (FB), and users can post messages of 300 characters or less, called gabs. But unlike large social networks, Gab has little or no moderation in the content posted by users.
Gab also has a Pro subscription level, a product store and its own web browser extension, Dissenter, which creates a commenting system.
We believe the future of online publishing is decentralized and open, says the platform’s website. We believe that social media users should be able to control their social media experiences on their own terms, not those set by Big Tech.
In April 2020, Gab reported a total of 1,157,000 registered accounts and 3.7 million monthly visitors worldwide, according to its SEC annual report.
Why is this issue controversial?
Gab’s careless management of content has led to numerous QAnon conspiracy theories, misinformation and anti-Semitic comments on the platform, as well as many vile hate and racist posts – many of which would not be tolerated on today’s popular social applications (although major social networks have their own problems with moderate extremism).
Exception: Gab blocks messages about illegal activity, threats of violence, drug abuse, pornography, child exploitation and spam, and says it will take steps to prevent and remove them.
The controversial messaging app is also home to some key conservative voices such as Richard Spencer and Alex Jones, some of whom have been banned from the more popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
After President Trump was banned from Twitter, White House officials considered setting up an account on Gab. That is, until Jared Kushner corrected the idea because of the anti-Semitic comments made online.
Why is it prohibited?
Gab first came to light in 2018 after it was revealed that a suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting used the network to threaten and beat Jews. There was a message on the suspect’s profile: I can’t just sit back and watch my people get killed. Fuck the optics, I’m going in just before I supposedly kill 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue.
In a 2018 statement, Gab stated that he unequivocally rejects and condemns all acts of terrorism and violence. He also says he has suspended the account and contacted the FBI.
He was forced to disconnect after being suspended by online payment providers PayPal (PYPL) and Stripe, as well as domain registrar GoDaddy and website hosting service Joylent, for hate speech violation.
Despite attempts by major technology companies to shut down the network, Gab has managed to stay online. The site is now managed by another domain registrar, Epik, who hosted the platform in 2018.
Who is the owner of Gab?
Gab was founded by Andrew Torba, an entrepreneur and Trump supporter who describes himself as a conservative Christian Republican. Torba, who previously worked in Silicon Valley, founded the alternative network in response to reports that social platforms like Facebook were biased against conservatives.
I didn’t set out to create a conservative social network, but I felt it was time for a conservative leader to step up and provide a forum where anyone could freely come and express themselves without fear of censorship, Torba told The Washington Post in 2016.
Every major communication medium, every major social network is led, owned, controlled and operated by progressive leaders, progressive employees of Silicon Valley, he told the Post.
What is the next step for Gab?
Gab is now facing calls from the Anti-Defamation League for a criminal investigation to determine whether the platform was intentionally used to support, collude with, or direct those who attacked the 6th Amendment. Janvier attacked Capitol Hill.
The anti-hate group highlighted in an open letter on Wednesday at least one report that Gab users had exchanged instructions on which streets to take to avoid police and what tools to bring to break down doors.
ADL also cites Torba’s posts encouraging users traveling to DC to take landscape photos while filming and document them as best they can. He goes on to quote Torba’s post from the day of the attack, saying that in a system with rigged elections, there are no viable political solutions.
In response, Gab called for a Facebook investigation into the protests. The company also stated that it had immediately deleted a number of newly created accounts that had been the subject of threats of violence against government officials.
We have been working diligently with law enforcement and have spent several weeks alerting our community to this behavior and acting quickly to stop it a few weeks before our platform’s January 6 demonstration, Torba said in a statement. Our teams of facilitators and advocates work tirelessly to ensure public safety. Threats of violence and illegal activities have no place in Gab.
Gab claims that the ADL is targeting him because, unlike Parler, he continues to work. In a statement to CNN, Torba said hate speech is not real and is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The ADL has no power over Gab, that’s why they hate us, Torba said. We will never submit to their demands and we will never censor legal and protected 1A speech that offends the sensibilities of the ADL. Never. Jesus is king.
James Gordon
