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 GABs 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 platforms 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, GABs 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: Didnt 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, Im not an anti-Semite. Im anti-termite, receiving thousands of likes and retweets, all without restriction. Despite examples such as this, the voices who are celebrating GABs imminent demise have not called for Twitter to suffer the same fate.
As the nations tech giants gain more concentrated power and the countrys 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.
I suppose you could start an ISP in your own house, subject to the usual nannying home business regulations.
They're doing it!
With Gab, as long as I avoided the anti-Semitic sewer called the “Israel” section, I was usually OK. However, all the conspiracy kookiness helped make things kind of dull, so I ended up not visiting very much.
So how does one “get their own connection?”
Its prety simple, really. You contact any one of a dozen or so different transport providers. Zayo, Level III, Crown Castle, Broadwing, CenturyLink, et al, and you contract for a specific bandwidth level for a specified time period, at an agreed upon price. A gig will run about $1,000 or so a month.
Thatd do for a start. Get redundant connections from 2 different providers using diverse points of entry into your chosen building. Build your own data center and youre good to go.
L
You’re way too late. “Muh own social network (assuming one has the money — will the corporate banking scum* even lend to conservative free speech concerns in a few years?)” has already landed.
*Note: I’m not using a euphemism for Da Joooooz. Plenty of Gentile corporate scum, too.
4Chan and Infinitechan, despite being a bastion of degenerates, has a lot of freedom. If the Chans are watered down and subverted, then that is the barometer to commence a physical revol......
I am ready to smash all platforms that censor speech with a government hammer . I no longer care about any arguments to the contrary. It’s time to destroy corporations that control speech. End of story. Period. Full Stop.
Well there’s a painfully stupid idea. So newspapers will have to print every letter? Nobody will be able to fire reporters? TV networks won’t be able to cancel shows?
It’s a fun little rallying cry. But out here in reality it’s a completely untenable utterly useless position. And you want to put the government in charge of it. Basically reversing the 1st amendment, give the government all the power to control speech and take it away from everybody else.
I feel your frustration and feel it’s time for some new laws about discrimination in regards to ideology.
Then I start thinking about what a slippery slope that can be and wonder if that’s the best immediate action to take. Of course getting congress to do anything usually happens at the speed of cold molasses on a winter day in Greenland.
I’d like to see some lawsuits against companies that discriminate and see where that goes first.
I’d also like to see private companies advertise they are like Gab and believe in free speech who are not controlled by commie leftists like PayPal, Stripe, and Joyent.
Gab is now completely off line as of a short while ago so as to finish the migration. Their current provider them gave only 48 hours to vacate and that is not nearly enough time. So they have a placeholder on the domain name telling everyone what is happening and they will be back possibly in a few short days. Hang tight is about all one can do but don’t forget to get and vote if you haven’t already and show the free speech killers that Gab is not going away. At least just not yet.
For the rest of you out there, so far as I'm concerned, if you are in the mass communications business, you *WILL* carry all traffic. You *WILL* serve every customer that sits at your lunch counter.
Then I start thinking about what a slippery slope that can be and wonder if thats the best immediate action to take.
I don't think it's a slippery slope if we make a law that says censorship is illegal. A lot of people try to flip my point to creating censorship, but this is just misdirection. If the law says private companies cannot censor members of the public, then what is the downside?
Government preventing censorship is a far different thing from government causing censorship, though many people try to make the one argument into the very opposite of what is being put forth.
Id like to see some lawsuits against companies that discriminate and see where that goes first.
I keep hearing such being threatened, but I never see any such going forward. Big pocket corporations can tie up any such effort for decades.
How do you expect that will work out?
Gab.com is under attack. We have been systematically no-platformed by App Stores, multiple hosting providers, and several payment processors. We have been smeared by the mainstream media for defending free expression and individual liberty for all people and for working with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served for the horrible atrocity committed in Pittsburgh. Gab will continue to fight for the fundamental human right to speak freely.
As we transition to a new hosting provider Gab will be inaccessible for a period of time. We are working around the clock to get Gab.com back online. Thank you and remember to speak freely.
You have it all wrong. I personally don’t have a problem with Jews but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some tied in with the communist left trying to destroy free speech and gun rights.
It isn’t anti-Semitism that drives me to wonder if Jews are involved; it’s the evidence.
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