Gab (social network)
American alt-tech social media service / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gab is an American alt-tech microblogging and social networking service known for its far-right userbase.[2][3][4][5] Widely described as a haven for neo-Nazis, racists, white supremacists, white nationalists, antisemites, the alt-right, supporters of Donald Trump, conservatives, right-libertarians, and believers in conspiracy theories such as QAnon,[6][7] Gab has attracted users and groups who have been banned from other social media platforms and users seeking alternatives to mainstream social media platforms.[8][9][10] Founded in 2016 and launched publicly in May 2017,[3][11] Gab claims to promote free speech, individual liberty, the "free flow of information online", and Christian values.[12][13][14][15] Researchers and journalists have characterized these assertions as an obfuscation of its extremist ecosystem.[13][16] Antisemitism is prominent in the site's content and the company itself has engaged in antisemitic commentary. Gab CEO Andrew Torba has promoted the white genocide conspiracy theory.[13][14][15][12] Gab is based in Pennsylvania.[17]
Type of site | Microblogging, Social networking service |
---|---|
Available in | English |
Founded | 2016 |
Headquarters | 700 North State Street, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania , U.S. |
Founder(s) | Andrew Torba, CEO Ekrem Büyükkaya, CTO[1] |
CEO | Andrew Torba |
Industry | Internet |
Services | Gab, Gab AI, Gab News, Gab TV, Gab Chat, Gab Ads, Gab Trends, GabPro, Dissenter (web browser), Dissenter (browser extension) |
URL | gab |
Commercial | Yes |
Registration | Required to post |
Users | 100,000 (estimated active) 5 million (total) as of 2022[update] |
Launched | August 15, 2016; 7 years ago (August 15, 2016) (private beta) May 8, 2017; 7 years ago (May 8, 2017) (open registration) July 4, 2019; 4 years ago (July 4, 2019) (switch to customized Mastodon fork and relaunched) |
Current status | Active |
Researchers note that Gab has been "repeatedly linked to radicalization leading to real-world violent events".[18] The site received extensive public scrutiny following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in October 2018. The perpetrator of the attack, Robert Gregory Bowers, had a history of making extreme, antisemitic postings on the platform, as well as messages indicating an immediate intent to cause harm before the shooting.[19][20][21] After the shooting, Gab briefly went offline when it was dropped by its hosting provider and denied service by several payment processors.[22][23][24] In 2021, Gab was among the platforms used to plan the United States Capitol attack on January 6.[25] Also in 2021, Gab suffered from a data breach called "GabLeaks".[26]
Gab's functionality is similar to that of Twitter.[27][28] Users of Gab can publish posts, initiate private chats, join groups, livestream and buy products.[17] The company also maintains an email service, cloud service, text messaging service, advertisement sales system, server farm, marketplace website, news aggregation website, advertising platform, video-conferencing platform, blog, video hosting, web browser, and browser extension to allow commenting on third-party websites.[13][29][30][31][32][33][34] In July 2019, Gab switched its software infrastructure to a fork of Mastodon, a free and open-source social network platform. Mastodon released a statement in protest, denouncing Gab as trying to "monetize and platform racist content while hiding behind the banner of free speech".[35][36]