What is Gab? The Alt-Right Social Network Linked to Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooter Goes Dark
*By Alex Heath*
Gab, an online haven for white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the alt-right, is facing an increasingly uncertain future.
Over the weekend, Gab was linked to Robert Bowers, who is accused of open-firing in a Pittsburgh, Pa., synagogue, killing 11 people and wounding six others. Bowers had a verified account on Gab and used the social network to post hateful, anti-Semitic messages up until the morning of the shooting. Federal officials have [charged him](https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/statement-filing-federal-charges) with 29 criminal counts, which include committing a hate crime and using a firearm to commit murder.
On Gab, Bowers was one of the roughly 800,000 people who used the platform as a so-called “free speech” alternative to larger social networks like Facebook ($FB) and Twitter ($TWTR). But thanks to the vile posts by Bowers on Gab, the platform has been taken offline by its web hosting and domain providers for violating their terms of service.
Both GoDaddy and web hosting provider Joyent banned Gab on Saturday, shortly after the shooting occurred and Bowers’s account surfaced in the media. Just hours before the shooting, Bowers had posted a threatening send-off message on Gab that read: “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”
Gab’s PayPal ($PYPL) and Stripe accounts were also banned. As of Monday, a message on Gab.com said that the service is transitioning to a new hosting provider and working “around the clock to get Gab.com back online.”
“Gab has spent the past 48 hours proudly working with the DOJ and FBI to bring justice to an alleged terrorist,” the statement said. “Because of the data we provided, they now have plenty of evidence for their case.”
Gab was created in 2016 by CEO Andrew Torba as an answer to what Torba called “the entirely left-leaning Big Social monopoly.” The service quickly turned into a safe space for provocateurs of the so-called alt-right movement who were banned from other platforms, like ex-Breitbart staffer Milo Yiannopoulos and “InfoWars” founder Alex Jones.
Now Gab’s future is murky as it looks for a cloud service and domain provider willing to host the kind of vitriolic content that was posted by Bowers. Gab’s CEO has remained firm that the service won’t be sidelined.
On Monday, Gab’s stripped website featured only a message from Torba that said the company had “been no-platformed by essential internet infrastructure providers at every level.”
“We are the most censored, smeared, and no-platformed startup in history, which means we are a threat to the media and to the Silicon Valley Oligarchy,” the statement continued. “Gab isn’t going anywhere.”
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
Starbucks’ AI barista aims to speed service and improve experience. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune Business Editor, explains its impact on workers and customers.
As Big Tech reports Q3 earnings, investors await proof that massive AI and cloud investments from Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet are driving real growth.
Eric Trump joins us to discuss American Bitcoin’s mission, market strategy, and why he believes the U.S. must lead the next era of digital currency innovation.