U.S. Social Media Platform Gab (Gab.com)
On January 9, U.S. social media platform Gab reported that a large number of users have migrated from Twitter to Gab, prompting a huge increase in downloads from the platform at a time when Twitter has imposed a widespread censorship ban.
In a statement on social media, Gab responded to a user who said he was unable to open an account, saying, “Our traffic has grown 753% in the last 24 hours, with visits growing into the tens of millions.”
“Please be patient, we’re not going anywhere. There are 10 new servers running tonight and it will take some time.” Gab added that more than 500,000 new users were added to the platform on Saturday, and said Trump has registered an account with Gab.
The company noted that they were removed from the store by Apple and Google years ago and do not rely on the services of third-party cloud hosting providers such as Amazon.
Andrew Torba, Gab’s chief executive, wrote in a blog post last year, “Over the past four years, we’ve been banned from multiple cloud hosting providers and told that if we didn’t like it, we should ‘build our own servers.’ So, we’re doing just that.”
“Gab isn’t just building an alternative social network. We’re building an alternative Internet. From hosting infrastructure to web browsing and more. Gab is the market leader when it comes to defending free speech against the online tyranny of Silicon Valley (Big Tech).”
In his latest statement on Saturday (Jan. 9), Toba said, “If your business is built on the backs of Silicon Valley tyrants (Apple, Google, etc.), they can and will try to destroy you if you pose a threat to their interests. That’s what they did with Gab, then Fortnite, and now Parler.”
He said, “There’s all kinds of terrible content on Twitter and Facebook, and everyone on the planet knows that fact. Yet both companies are on the App Store (of both Strogo and Google). Apple’s ban on Parler is not a neutral enforcement of some objective standard, but a cynical, politically motivated gesture and evidence of the Silicon Valley elite’s disdain for the average American.”
“The solution to this problem, as always, is not government, but building your own (server). And even though people laughed at the meme, Gab made it happen. While others complained, we built these.”
Apple and Google did not respond to requests for comment.
Google issued a statement when it banned Gab saying that “social networks need to demonstrate a sufficient degree of restrictive rules, including for content that encourages violence and promotes hate groups,” in order to remain in its online store.
Apple initially said it banned Gab because the platform did not automatically censor pornographic content, but after Gab made changes on the matter, the company said it would continue to ban it because it “contains content that could be considered defamatory or mean-spirited.
In response, Toba wrote to Senate Intelligence Committee member Mark Warner (D-Va.) that Gab does moderate speech and that the company has a zero-tolerance policy for threats of violence and illegal speech, but will safeguard speech that may be controversial but legal.
On Jan. 8, Twitter permanently banned the personal accounts of President Trump and other prominent users including attorney Sidney Powell and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, triggering a number of outbound moves to alternative platforms such as Gab and Parler.
But Parler is being asked by big tech companies to implement tougher censorship policies to lift the download ban, and Google and Apple have now removed Parler from their online stores, while Amazon shut down Parler’s servers this Sunday (Jan. 10).
John Matze, Parler’s CEO, said the company is prepared to take legal action.
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