Posted on 10/28/2018 8:59:45 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Once known as the new frontier of free speech, the internet seemed destined to be one place on the planet where ideas could be freely expressed, and thoughts could be challenged in open debate. But no more. The unfiltered, Twitter-esque social media platform GAB – a messaging board where censorship does not rule – is about to be tossed to the wolves.
In the wake of the horrific mass murder at a Pittsburgh, PA, synagogue, the web hosting company that provided GAB’s platform has decided to pull the plug, claiming an unspecified “breach of the Joyent Terms of Service.” Given little more than one day of notice, GAB has until the morning of Monday, October 29, to relocate its entire operation to a new platform, with a new provider.
PayPal has also cut ties with GAB. A surprising move considering Facebook has in the past had users live stream actual murders on its platform, yet faced no backlash from the digital pay gateway.
Publishers The alleged killer at the Tree of Life Synagogue, Robert Bowers, had posted numerous anti-Semitic sentiments on his GAB feed. Being a company that advertises itself as a haven for free speech, censorship has only rarely reared its ugly head at GAB. Unlike the social media platform’s main competitor, Twitter – where censorship of content is ubiquitous – users are largely left to their own devices and are free to post whatever they please.
Joyent, GAB’s current web host, has taken a step that will have the delegates of political correctness exulting in faux righteousness. By moving to control what speech can and cannot be expressed via their hosting service, the company has become a publisher rather than just a provider of electronic space. This is the thin end of the wedge for companies that provide space for content creators; calls for Facebook, Google, and other tech monopolies to follow suit will soon be on the way.
Virtual Masters Yesterday it was Alex Jones, today it is GAB, tomorrow it will be any soul who dares to dream of a world where people can communicate freely.
Many people will be asking themselves: Didn’t Bowers have Facebook and Twitter accounts? And the answer is “yes.” So why is it that Internet Service Providers are not looking to shut down these online behemoths? Simply, because Google, Facebook, Twitter, et al., are their own hosts. These companies are so big that they do not rely on third parties to host their websites and are thus beholden only to themselves.
In the future, unless a company can afford the monumental expense of setting up its very own ISP, it will be subject to the whims and political leanings of its digital masters. This means that no start-up company will be free to operate without becoming a publisher, and being a publisher means you are open to legal action over the content you allow – a definition that will force all small operations to censor or go bust.
Digital Hypocrisy The Facebooks, Twitters, and Googles of this world fear no such repercussions. Indeed, anti-Semitic content has been widely viewed and shared on these major league social media platforms without a single action being taken. Prominent black nationalist and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has posted and reposted videos of himself stating, “I’m not an anti-Semite. I’m anti-termite,” receiving thousands of “likes” and retweets, all without restriction. Despite examples such as this, the voices who are celebrating GAB’s imminent demise have not called for Twitter to suffer the same fate.
As the nation’s tech giants gain more concentrated power and the country’s leaders await legislative proposals for regulation that may create a virtual monopoly, it is time to ask ourselves if this is the end of the internet as a stage for free speech.
Yesterday it was Alex Jones, today it is GAB, tomorrow it will be any soul who dares to dream of a world where people can communicate freely, express themselves openly, and live in a society where the legality of your own thoughts are not subject to political diktat or capricious whimsy.
We’re going to need to decentralize sooner than later. This will just keep happening. The snowball rolls downhill.
LifeSite is also being curtailed.
The same folks that own the democrat party have huge stakes in twitter. You did not think they are going to allow a competitor to take hold, did you
.
Joyent = Samsung
Sounds like a good time to boycott in mass...
I’ve been on GAB for several months. There is a lot of anti-Semitism, racist
posts and some unwanted pornography, but I respect the commitment to respect free speech and limit censorship. I hope Andrew Torba overcomes this and gets back to business.
You can be forced to bake a pervert wedding cake, but you can’t be forced to host website you disagree with.
Nonsense, they have a right to choose their partners just like Christian bakers. They can find another web host.
Back in the 90’s I predicted that the internet would be a beacon of free thought and expression, unfiltered... and that when the Left realized this they would move to shut it down.
It took longer than I thought, but here we are.
I bet that fascistbook, screwgle, and twatter all have their hands in forcing GAB’s ouster.... Ya know because competition is bad and all that.
Sounds dope
Correction... Joyent = Samsung = partnership with AT&T.
It’s Samsung and AT&T.
Much garbage on Gab, but you can block what you don’t like. So now, all forums are censored. That is, all right minded speech is censored.
+++++++++++++++1!
It’s not dead. Online free speech has ALWAYS been subject to your ability to own it yourself. As soon as you’re hosted you’re subject to their rules. Own your own server, own your own connection, get the free speech you want. Nothing has changed on that front for 25 years.
Exactly how do you “own your own connection?”
“Much garbage on Gab...”
Ever been in a busy public place and really listened to conversations?
Ever hear what pubic school teachers and college prof’s tell our children?
Ever listened to CNN and MSNBC?
Ever read DU?
And Gab is shut down?
This is Big Brother, now.
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