Title: Far-Right Social Network Gab Deactivates Its Twitter Account
Headings: Far-Right Social Network Gab Deactivates Its Twitter Account
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Far-Right Social Network Gab Deactivates Its Twitter Account
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Content: OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP/Getty
Parler sued Amazon after going offline, demanding that the company be forced to host them. The platform returned in a limited form about a week after being shut down, with the aid of a Russian server that has also hosted Russian government sites, as well as sites popular with extremists and conspiracy theorists such as 8kun, which is heavily associated with the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory. Gab temporarily went offline in 2018 after its server cut ties with the company due to the platform hosting messages from the man accused of perpetrating the anti-Semitic mass shooting that left 11 people dead at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The app has also been banned by multiple payment processors and from the Google and Apple app stores for violating hate speech rules. In addition to providing a social messaging platform open to extremists, Gab also offers a web browser extension called "Dissenter," which is used to circumvent hate speech rules and moderation policies on third-party websites, potentially forcing comments from trolls and extremists to be posted where they would otherwise be blocked. Newsweek subscription offers >
Although the circumstances of Gab deleting the Twitter account are not entirely clear, the company has repeatedly complained of "big tech censorship." A number of prominent Trump loyalists quit Twitter in protest of the former president being permanently banned from the platform on January 8 over concerns he could incite further political violence before leaving office. Trump was impeached by the House for a second time after allegedly inciting the Capitol insurrection, becoming the only president in history to receive the dishonor twice. Newsweek reached out to Gab and Twitter for comment. Request Reprint & Licensing, Submit Correction or view Editorial Guidelines