Gab is a social network that frames itself as a “free speech” alternative to Twitter, and which in actuality is mainly a haven for Nazis and racists, is under a big microscope now after it was revealed that the murderer who massacred worshipers in a Pittsburgh-area synagogue on Saturday was using it to share anti-Semitic content and plan his acts.
PayPal has kicked Gab out for “explicitly allowing the perpetuation of hate, violence or discriminatory intolerance” and the network also, by Twitter, announced they’re losing their hosting as well.
For their part, Gab officially condemned the murders, saying it “unequivocally disavows and condemns all acts of terrorism and violence.” But, well… scroll through their own official Twitter account. Or search Twitter for things they’ve tweeted in the past that have been deleted. It’s mostly Nazis and racists. Sorry if that actual fact bugs you.
It will certainly start arguments now about free speech and more speech and “who’s next” on the right, but of course these payment companies and hosting companies have the right to not do business with any racist frog asking for a cake they feel like not doing business with.
Axios notes this isn’t their first run-in with shut-outs.
- Apple has, on numerous occasions, refused to host Gab on its App Store for “objectionable content,” including “references to religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, or other targeted groups that could be offensive to many users.”
- Google removed Gab from its Play Store in August 2017 for violating its hate speech policy, per The Verge.
- In August 2018, Microsoft threatened to stop Gab from using its Azure cloud service after it received complaints about Gab posts that advocated ‘ritual death by torture’ and the ‘complete eradication’ of all Jews.
Here’s more from the Daily News.
Gab and its more than 141,000 Twitter followers did not take kindly to the ban, calling on President Trump to step in to prevent the internet from “being destroyed and controlled by like three companies in Silicon Valley.”
Suspected Pittsburgh synagogue shooter maintained anti-Semitic social media feed, posted ‘I’m going in’ moments before massacre »
It also lashed out at other social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit for hosting “terrorists, pedophiles and criminals,” but not facing the same backlash.“We are doubling down on free speech and individual liberty,” the site wrote on its Twitter account.