Microsoft has told the Gab social network that it will pull its hosting if it doesn’t remove anti-semitic posts within 48 hours. An email published by Gab founder Andrew Torba reveals accuses it of “inciting violence” in violation of Azure’s acceptable use policy.
The posts in question come from former Senate candidate Patrick Little, who was removed from a GOP convention in may for similar views. They describe “raising jews as livestock” for “ritual death by torture”, as well as promises to destroy a Holocaust memorial.
Gab was founded as an alternative to mainstream social networks that have strict content policies and actively remove posts. As such, it tends to attract a number of extreme viewpoints, such as those of Little. Microsoft says it received a complaint from a third-party and sent the notice after investigating the issue.
https://twitter.com/getongab/status/1027753025887248384
Not the First Controversy
Little has since agreed to delete the posts, but criticized the threat as “a violation of our rights as Americans”. For Gab, it suggests that the platform will struggle to operate on traditional hosting.
Even so, it’s worth noting that Gab’s Terms of Use disallow threats of violence and terrorism. How actively it enforces those policies is important, though, and it’s not the first time it’s received such a notice.
In 2017, Gab’s domain registrar threatened to seize the domain if it didn’t find a new host. It removed the user from its platform but espoused the need for a different provider. The social network is now working towards its own infrastructure and has raised $5.4 million in reservations in its on-going investment round.
