Social media platform Gab capitalises on Twitter bans, Parler’s suspension | World News - Hindustan Times
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Social media platform Gab capitalises on Twitter bans, Parler’s suspension

Byhindustantimes.com | Edited by Kunal Gaurav
Jan 10, 2021 03:34 PM IST

On Saturday, the company tweeted that it was gaining more than 10,000 new users every hour.

Social networking website Gab.com appears to have capitalised on the recent bans by Facebook and Twitter on US President Donald Trump following the Capitol insurrection for violating companies’ policies. Gab is popular among far-right groups and the suspension of Parler from Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store has further boosted the traffic on the social media platform.

A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump holding a sign takes part in a rally at Beverly Hills Gardens Park in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. January 9, 2021. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu(REUTERS)
A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump holding a sign takes part in a rally at Beverly Hills Gardens Park in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. January 9, 2021. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu(REUTERS)

Gab took to its official Twitter handle to announce that it gained 500,000 new users on Saturday, with 18 million visits on the platform. It also said that the company is receiving resumes from senior-level employees working at Big Tech companies, claiming that there is an “internal civil war among staff and executives.”

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“500,000+ new users today. 18 million visits. You don't need an account to use the site. The Silicon Valley Exodus has begun. Get in the Ark: http://Gab.com The best is yet to come,” the company tweeted.


Gab was founded in 2016 by Andrew Torba and the platform was reportedly banned from multiple cloud hosting providers, prompting the company to migrate to its own in-house servers. It was removed from Play Store in 2017 for violating Google’s hate speech policy and was rejected by App Store for similar reasons.

Also Read | Apple, Amazon suspend Parler from App Store over posts inciting violence

The layout of the controversial platform is similar to that of Twitter, displaying trending post at the centre and aggregated news on the right. The menu and explore sections are on the left of the homepage. According to a Vox report, Gab had 465,000 to 800,000 users in October 2018. On Saturday, the company tweeted that it was gaining more than 10,000 new users every hour.


In a blog post, Torba has condemned the suspension of Parler from the app stores of Google and Apple, calling it politically motivated gesture and “evidence of Silicon Valley elites’ disdain for ordinary Americans.” Gab’s chief executive officer said that Big Techs will attempt to destroy businesses built on the backs of “Silicon Valley tyrants” if and when the companies become a “threat to their interests.”

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