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'{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2018}} {{primary sources|date=September 2017}} {{Infobox Website | name = Gab | logo = Official Gab Social Network Logo.png | logo_alt = | logo_caption = <!-- or: | logocaption = --> | screenshot = | collapsible = <!-- set as "on", "y", etc, otherwise omit/leave blank --> | collapsetext = <!-- collapsible area's heading (default "Screenshot"); omit/leave blank if collapsible not set --> | background = <!-- for collapsetext heading; default grey (gainsboro) --> | screenshot_alt = | commercial = <!-- "Yes", "No" or leave blank --> | type = [[Social networking service]] | caption = Screenshot of Gab posts | industry = [[Internet]] | url = {{URL|https://gab.ai/}} | registration = Required | language = [[English language|English]] | location_city = [[Austin, Texas]] | location_country = [[United States]]<ref name="whois" /> | programming_language = [[PHP]] | owner = Gab AI, Inc. | author = <!-- or: creator / authors / creators --> | editor = <!-- or: | editors = --> | num_users = 310,000+<ref>{{cite news|last1=Breland|first1=Ali|title=Twitter crackdown sparks free speech concerns|url=http://thehill.com/policy/technology/360806-twitter-crackdown-sparks-free-speech-concerns|accessdate=December 12, 2017|work=TheHill|date=November 17, 2017|quote="Gab platform has 310,000 users in total, according to [Gab's COO Utsav Sanduja]."}}</ref> | launch date = {{start date and age|August 2016}} (beta)<ref name=":2" /> | revenue = | alexa = {{increase}} 13,649 {{small|{{nowrap|(Global, {{as of|2018|3|1|alt=March 2018}})}}}}<ref name="alexa">{{cite web |title=gab.ai Traffic Statistics |url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/gab.ai |website=[[Alexa Internet]] |publisher=[[Amazon.com]] |date=January 21, 2018|accessdate=January 21, 2018}}</ref> | current_status = Active (available for open registration on May 2017) }} '''Gab''' is an [[Austin, Texas]]-based<ref name="whois">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsBQfEZvJeY|title=Interview with Andrew Torba from Gab.ai|website=youtube.com|access-date=May 22, 2017}}</ref> [[social networking service]]. It was created as an alternative to social networks like [[Facebook]], [[Twitter]] and [[Reddit]]. Gab describes its mission as putting "people and free speech first"<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://gab.ai/about/guidelines|title=Guidelines. {{!}} Gab|website=gab.ai|access-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref>. It allows its users to read and write messages of up to 300 [[Character (computing)|characters]], called "gabs". The site also offers multimedia functionality. == History == Gab was created in August 2016<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/nov/17/gab-alt-right-social-media-twitter|title=Gab: alt-right's social media alternative attracts users banned from Twitter|last=Wilson|first=Jason|date=November 17, 2016|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref> as an alternative to the popular social network Twitter.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexkantrowitz/new-social-network-gab-growing-fast-free-speech|title=This New Social Network Promises Almost-Total Free Speech To Its Users|newspaper=BuzzFeed|access-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref> Founder and CEO Andrew Torba cited "the entirely left-leaning Big Social monopoly" <ref name=":1" /> as part of the inspiration for Gab, which he created "after reading reports that Facebook employees suppress conservative articles".<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/arts/the-far-right-has-a-new-digital-safe-space.html|title=The Far Right Has a New Digital Safe Space|last=Hess|first=Amanda|date=November 30, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref> Torba said in November that the site's user base had expanded significantly following censorship controversies at Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Google. <ref name=":44">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/11/29/banned-from-twitter-this-site-promises-you-can-say-whatever-you-want/|title=Banned from Twitter? This site promises you can say whatever you want.|last=Ohlheiser|first=Abby|date=November 29, 2016|access-date=December 3, 2016|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> In December 2016, Gab.ai's submission of its app to the [[iOS]] [[App Store (iOS)|App Store]] was declined by [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]. Apple cited pornographic content as the reason. At the same time, Twitter also cut off access to its [[Application programming interface|API]] without specifying a reason.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rodriguez|first1=Salvador|title=Gab, the Alt-Right's Favorite Social Network, Gets Rejections From Apple, Twitter|url=https://www.inc.com/salvador-rodriguez/gab-apple-twitter.html|accessdate=September 7, 2017|work=Inc.com|date=December 15, 2016|language=en}}</ref><ref name="bizinsid-appbans" /> A resubmitted version of the app which blocked pornography by default was also rejected for violating Apple's rules on "hate speech."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Timothy B.|title=Google explains why it banned the app for Gab, a right-wing Twitter rival|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/08/gab-the-right-wing-twitter-rival-just-got-its-app-banned-by-google/|accessdate=September 7, 2017|work=Ars Technica|date=August 18, 2017|language=en-us}}</ref> After 9 months of closed beta testing, as of May 2017 the site is open to anyone registering with an email.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/16/gab-social-site-alt-right-haven/|title=New social site Gab is getting popular with the 'alt-right'|website=Engadget|access-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref> On July 24, 2017, Torba announced that the site had 2,200 Pro users, following an announcement two days before that Pro subscriptions would solely fund the cost of running the service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gab.ai/a/posts/10091132|title=Announcement from Andrew Torba's Gab account on number of Pro Users}}</ref> On August 1, 2017, Gab TV, a video streaming service for members, opened up for Pro members to create their own Periscope-like video streaming channels.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gab.ai/gab/posts/10327925|title=Announcement from Andrew Torba's Gab account}}</ref> According to Andrew Torba, the site was hit with a DDoS attack soon afterwards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gab.ai/a/posts/10358133|title=Announcement from Andrew Torba's Gab account}}</ref> On August 17, 2017, Google removed Gab's app from the [[Google Play]] Store for violating its policy against "hate speech."<ref name="bizinsid-appbans">{{cite news|work=Business Insider UK|url=http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-app-store-gab-ban-hate-speech-2017-8|title=Google’s app store has banned Gab — a social network popular with the far-right — for 'hate speech'|date=August 18, 2017|access-date=August 18, 2017|author=Rob Price}}</ref> == Revenue == Gab does not use advertising. The site began offering a premium subscription service for Gab named "Gab Pro" in April 2017. Gab Pro has a monthly option for $5.99 a month. The subscription allows users to have private chats for up to 25 people, which was later added for all users with two users maximum and Gab Pro with 50 maximum. Messages are deleted after 24 hours. Gab Pro subscribers can also view a topic breakdown for other users, make lists of users to sort their home feed, stream on GabTV (Gab's livestreaming service), and more easily get their profile verified. Subscribers also get a "PRO" badge next to their posts. In July 2017 Gab also started an investment project which met its goal of $1.07&nbsp;Million on August 19, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.startengine.com/startup/gab |title=Gab |website=StartEngine |access-date=July 12, 2017}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=September 2017}} On August 15, 2017 Torba announced plans for its own [[cryptocurrency]], expecting Gab to be subject to "blacklisting" by third-party payment processors.<ref name="medium">{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/@getongab/happy-birthday-gab-announcing-our-ico-e338662d26a1|website=medium.com|title=Happy Birthday, Gab: Announcing Our Plans For An ICO 🐸🎂|accessdate=September 16, 2017}}</ref> == Design == Gab's color theme is a minimalist combination of black text on white panels with pink [[hashtag]]s and usernames. Pro users have a contrasted top bar in dark blue closer to that of Facebook. The interface "behaves like a Twitter-Reddit hybrid",<ref name=":44" /> displaying messages in a Twitter-like vertically-scrolling timeline format with a Reddit-like option to upvote or downvote each post. The site also aggregates popular posts and trending topic hashtags.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":44" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/2016/09/gab-alt-rights-twitter-ultimate-filter-bubble/|title=Gab, the Alt-Right’s Very Own Twitter, Is The Ultimate Filter Bubble|last=Ellis|first=Emma Grey|newspaper=WIRED|language=en-US|access-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref> Users can sort comments and posts in a subject by time or score. When writing a gab, Gabbers without a Pro subscription can post up to 300 characters of plain text,<ref name=":3" /> while those with a Pro account can write up to 3,000 characters per gab. The first 300 characters of a gab appear in the timeline, with an option to read the rest of a gab if it is longer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gab|url=https://gab.ai/gab/posts/18068348|website=gab.ai|accessdate=January 24, 2018|date=January 16, 2018}}</ref> Additional functionality is similar to Twitter, using # to create hashtags and @ to reference other users by username. Gabs can embed some multimedia, currently limited to emoji, photo upload, and [[Giphy]] [[GIF#Animated GIF|animated GIFs]]. In addition, hyperlinks can be embedded, with some content such as [[YouTube]] videos displaying a thumbnail preview. Each Gab account can optionally be linked to a Twitter account for cross-posting, which can be enabled or disabled before a gab is published. When enabled, the gab is tweeted up to around the first 100 characters, along with a link to the gab. In July 2017, Gab implemented a system where people who downvoted others (through spamming) would have their account downvoted too and their ability to leave downvotes revoked.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://gab.ai/a/posts/9704352|title=Andrew Torba on Gab|access-date=July 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://gab.ai/a/posts/9716099|title=Andrew Torba on Gab|access-date=July 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://gab.ai/gab/posts/9584661|title=Gab HQ on Gab|access-date=July 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://gab.ai/e/posts/9585990|title=Ekrem Büyükkaya on Gab|access-date=July 12, 2017}}</ref> Downvotes were subsequently removed entirely<ref name="gab">{{cite web|url=https://gab.ai/a/posts/6106723|title=Andrew Torba on Gab: "Hey folks,We have removed the downvote button. F..."|website=gab.ai|accessdate=September 16, 2017}}</ref>, but then reinstated; as of December 2017 both upvotes and downvotes are possible, but the totals are tracked and displayed separately rather than being combined into a single score. A frog named "Gabby"<ref name=":5" /> is the current logo of Gab. Torba has said that the frog logo was inspired by Bible verses ([[wikisource:Bible (King James)/Exodus#8:1|Exodus 8:1-8:12]] and [[wikisource:Bible (King James)/Psalms#78:45|Psalms 78:45]]) and various other traditional [[Frogs in culture|symbolic]] meanings. The logo has been compared to [[Pepe the Frog]], a cartoon character commonly used as a meme by the Kekistanis. == Criticism == The site has drawn criticism for providing a platform for users banned or suspended from other services for violating their terms of service,<ref name=":44" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/11/16/a-great-purge-twitter-suspends-richard-spencer-other-prominent-alt-right-accounts/ |title=‘A great purge?’: Twitter suspends Richard Spencer, other prominent alt-right accounts|last=Andrews|first=Travis|date=November 16, 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|access-date=November 20, 2017}}</ref> including former [[Breitbart News|Breitbart]] writer [[Milo Yiannopoulos]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2016/11/22/tila-tequilas-twitter-account-suspended-after-appearance-at-white-nationalist-convention/|title=Tila Tequila’s Twitter account suspended after appearance at white nationalist convention|last=Heil|first=Emily|date=November 22, 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|access-date=December 5, 2016}}</ref> [[Tila Tequila]] (a reality television personality who gained notoriety for rendering a Nazi salute at a white nationalist event),<ref name=":3" /> white nationalists such as [[Richard B. Spencer]],<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" />, [[Britain First]] <ref>https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/20/britain-first-gab-social-media-twitter-ban</ref> and anonymous Twitter user "Ricky Vaughn".<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":44" /> Andrew Torba, the CEO of Gab.ai, was himself removed from the [[Y Combinator (company)|Y Combinator]] alumni network because of harassment concerns.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/12/pro-trump-ceo-gets-booted-from-y-combinator/|title=Pro-Trump CEO gets booted from Y Combinator over harassment concerns {{!}} TechCrunch|last=Ha|first=Anthony|access-date=June 5, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/nitashatiku/trump-supporting-startup-ceo-kicked-out-of-y-combinator|title=Trump-Supporting CEO Kicked Out Of Y Combinator Startup Incubator|work=BuzzFeed|access-date=June 5, 2017|language=en}}</ref> It has been called "Twitter for racists" by [[Salon (website)|Salon]],<ref name=":74">{{Cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2016/11/05/inside-the-twitter-for-racists-gab-the-site-where-milo-yiannopoulos-goes-to-troll-now/|title=Inside the "Twitter for racists": Gab — the site where Milo Yiannopoulos goes to troll now|last=Benson|first=Thor|website=Salon|access-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref> and was described as "hate-filled [[Echo chamber (media)|echo chamber]] of racism and conspiracy theories" by Andrew Anthony writing for ''[[The Guardian]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/18/gab-the-social-network-for-the-alt-right|title=Inside the hate-filled echo chamber of racism and conspiracy theories|date=December 17, 2016|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=June 6, 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> An editorial in ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' criticized Gab for not explicitly prohibiting hate speech.<ref name=":6" /> The only restrictions on expression on the site are on threats of violence, promotion of terrorism, illegal pornography, and [[doxing]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://gab.ai/about/guidelines|title=Guidelines. {{!}} Gab|website=gab.ai|access-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref> Torba has denied that Gab is "designed specifically for conservatives"<ref name=":3" /> and has stated that "we welcome everyone and always will".<ref name=":2" /> He has further said that "We want everyone to feel safe on Gab, but we're not going to police what is hate speech and what isn't".<ref name=":6" /> == Legal action == In September 2017, Gab filed an antitrust suit against Google for their removal of the Gab app from the Google Play Store<ref>{{cite news|title=Google faces lawsuit over removing Gab from Play Store|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-41306437|accessdate=September 27, 2017|work=BBC News|date=September 18, 2017}}</ref> but dropped the suit on October 22, 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20171024/17465038476/gab-drops-lawsuit-against-google-considers-trying-hand-lobbying.shtml|title=Gab Drops Its Lawsuit Against Google; Considers Trying Its Hand At Lobbying|work=Techdirt.|access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref> == References == {{reflist}} {{Alt-right}} {{Microblogging}} [[Category:2016 establishments in Texas]] [[Category:Companies based in Austin, Texas]] [[Category:Internet companies of the United States]] [[Category:Internet properties established in 2016]] [[Category:Media in Austin, Texas]] [[Category:Microblogging]] [[Category:Multilingual websites]] [[Category:Proprietary cross-platform software]] [[Category:Real-time web]] [[Category:Social media]] [[Category:Social networking services]] [[Category:Social networking websites]]'