Gab, the social network where the suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre posted anti-Semitic rants and conspiracy theories, went offline as it seeks a…
Gab, the social network where the suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre posted anti-Semitic rants and conspiracy theories, went offline as it seeks a new hosting provider, according to reports.
The move comes after GoDaddy asked Gab to change the domain, while PayPal Holdings, payment processor Stripe and hosting provider Joynet blocked the website, according to Reuters.
“We have informed Gab.com that they have 24 hours to move the domain to another registrar,” a GoDaddy rep said, adding that the Twitter-like site violated its terms of service and hosted content that “promotes and encourages violence against people.”
Robert Bowers, 46, has been charged in the slaughter of 11 congregants at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the deadliest attack ever on the Jewish community in the US.
Hours earlier, he wrote on Gab.com, which he joined in January, that the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, a nonprofit that helps Jewish refugees relocate to the country, was helping to kill “my people.”
“Gab.com is under attack. We have been systematically no-platformed by App Stores, multiple hosting providers, and several payment processors,” the website said, adding that it was working around the clock to get back online.
During an interview with NPR, Gab CEO Andrew Torba defended the service and said Gab is here to stay.
“The answer to bad speech or hate speech — however you want to define that — is always more speech, and it always will be,” Torba said.
PayPal confirmed it suspended its accounts, while Stripe and Joyent shut down Gab accounts. In a statement to USA Today, Stripe said it could not comment on individual accounts. Joyent could not be immediately reached for comment.
Gab, which was launched in 2016, was favored by users involved in the “alt-right” movement after crackdowns by Twitter that took place as the social network said it was taking a tougher stance on hate speech.
Although Gab has rules against calling for violent acts or making threats, it has more relaxed rules on what to post, allowing for such content as anti-Semitic rants or conspiracy theories.
In August, Microsoft threatened to pull its hosting service after two anti-Semitic posts on Gab, according to The Verge. Those posts were removed.
Among Gab’s notable users are right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and Andrew Anglin, founder of the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website, as well as media personality Alex Jones.
Utsav Sanduja, Gab’s former chief operating officer, said the company and its mission will survive “guilt by association” and raise funds through cryptocurrencies to bypass tech companies.
“We created Gab for the purpose of letting off steam not to kill. That was not our intention,” he told Reuters.
