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How Gab Protects The Open Web
July1, 2023

Nearly everything that is publicly accessible on the Internet is being “scraped” or downloaded by various sources. In the beginning, it was primarily search engines doing this, but this has been forever expanding to include archive sites, researchers, advertising shops, government agencies, and many more organizations who are hungry for data to collect and analyze. It is a fact of life on the open web, and something we at Gab are very familiar with.

Twitter has recently implemented some harsh daily “reading” limits on normal user accounts, and even on paid verified accounts, complaining about the scraping they are being subjected to. They have also locked down the entire site from view unless you have an account. We are skeptical if this is the true motivation behind the changes, because there are obviously better ways to combat excessive scraping than to implement blanket limitations on everyone. I use Twitter very lightly, quickly scanning it a few times a day, and I have already received the rate limiting error today. I find it very hard to believe that they cannot handle the traffic from the scraping, or that they cannot address the scraping in the same ways we have.



Through constant monitoring of the site and the sources of traffic we are able to identify specific IPs and networks where scraping is originating. We ban these sources, and continue to ban new ones as they appear. This is why some users on certain VPN locations will be unable to access the site, because that same location was being used to abuse the site. We do also have some rate-limits in place, although they are meant to be a second layer of defense and set at a level we believe is unlikely to be hit by a human user.

Protecting the site while keeping everything open and fully accessible to our users and the general public, is our goal. On this, I think we do a great job and strike the right balance. Twitter has seemingly left the open web, and joined Facebook in requiring everyone to be logged in to view content. This only makes Gab more important as a public source of news and free expression, accessible by anyone anywhere.



Take the ongoing situation in France, for example, and ask yourself, what site would you trust with your browsing and communication? Elon Musk from Twitter met with the French President and will certainly be censoring content on behalf of the government. Twitter will know French users and prevent French users from seeing things, even if they log in through an IP in another country. Gab CEO Andrew Torba tells the French government to get bent, and Gab will support free public discussion without censoring any of it. We seek to export the freedoms of the First Amendment to the World and keep the web free and open. So get on Gab.com and speak freely.

Fosco Marotto
CTO, Gab.com

Threads: Instagram owner to launch Twitter rival on Thursday
Published 11 hours ago
By James Clayton
North America technology reporter

Facebook owner Meta is launching its new app to rival Twitter and says it will go live on Thursday.

The app, which is called Threads and is available for pre-order on the Apple App Store, will be linked to Instagram.

Screengrabs show a dashboard that looks similar to Twitter. Meta describes Threads as a "text based conversation app".



The move is the latest in a rivalry between Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Last month, the pair agreed to a physical fight, though it is unclear how serious the two men were about actually holding a bout.

"Thank goodness they're so sanely run", Mr Musk responded to a tweet about Threads, in an apparent fresh swipe at Mr Zuckerberg.

Meanwhile, Twitter has said that the popular user dashboard, TweetDeck will go behind a paywall in 30 days time.

The move is the latest push by Mr Musk as he tries to get users to sign up to Twitter's subscription service, Twitter Blue.

On Saturday, the multi-billionaire restricted the number of tweets users could see, citing extreme "data scraping".

It appears from Meta's Threads app that it will be a free service - and there will be no restrictions on how many posts a user can see.

"Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what'll be trending tomorrow" the description on the App Store says.

Pictures show screengrabs from the app, that look almost identical to Twitter.

It being a Meta app, Threads will also hoover up data on your phone, including location data, purchases and browsing history.

Several apps that bear a striking resemblance to Twitter have sprung up in recent years - such as Donald Trump's Truth Social and Mastodon.

Another similar app, Bluesky claimed to have seen "record" traffic after Mr Musk's move to restrict usage at the weekend.

However, Threads could be the biggest threat faced by Twitter to date.

Mark Zuckerberg has a history of borrowing other company's ideas - and making them work.

Meta's Reels is widely seen as a TikTok copy, while Stories looks similar to Snapchat.

Meta has the resources to compete with Twitter. Threads will be part of the Instagram platform, so it will also be connected to hundreds of millions of accounts. It's not starting from zero, as other would-be rivals have had to do.

Although Mr Musk has been praised in some quarters for his commitment to free speech, he has also alienated some users.

Mr Zuckerberg will hope he can pull enough disenchanted users away from Twitter to create a genuine alternative.

Facebook’s Twitter Alternative Is Already Censoring
July 6, 2023

This week Meta-owned Instagram launched Threads, a Twitter competitor, aiming to diversify its services. In a surprise to no one Threads immediately started censoring and putting warning labels on the accounts of conservative users. The launch of Threads raises important questions about the Meta’s control over information, evident through early censorship of conservative users, and also about the role of alternative platforms like Gab.com in countering the dominance of big tech oligarchs.

Meta’s unrivaled control over the dissemination of information is a subject of significant debate. The platform’s algorithms, which are designed to curate content based on user preferences, inadvertently create echo chambers and information silos. This is in contrast to platforms like Gab which offer a chronological feed displaying the latest posts allowing you to discover a wide variety of conversations on the platform as they occur thanks to Gab’s free speech policies.

By reinforcing users’ existing beliefs, Facebook, Instagram, and now Threads can mold the reality people experience online, dictating what they see and shielding them from dissenting views. This power is further amplified when Facebook collaborates with governments and activist groups which enables information manipulation and censorship of citizens on behalf of governments. Thankfully a judge ruled this week that this very clear violation of the First Amendment in America needs to end.



With the launch of Threads, Facebook aims to compete with Twitter and tap into new user demographics. The early signs of censorship against conservative users within the first 24 hours of Threads’ release is cause for concern. The swift suppression of conservative voices reinforces worries about Facebook’s control over what is deemed “acceptable speech.” This incident raises questions about the platform’s commitment to fostering open dialogue.

“The goal is to keep it friendly as it expands. I think it’s possible and will ultimately be the key to its success,” wrote Zuckerberg in a Wednesday post. If the goal is to keep it “friendly” that means removing anything that could be deemed “unfriendly” to various groups of people.

In practice that looks like shutting conservatives up to appease fragile liberal feelings. Zuckerberg wants to mirror Instagram's fake and illusory experience into the product of Threads, painting the picture of a world that is only “friendly” ponies and rainbows. That’s not how the real world works and there’s nothing beneficial to society about a platform that hides the truth from its users to protect their feelings and keep them in an imaginary world of illusion.



The emergence of platforms like Gab offer an alternative narrative to the status quo dominated by Facebook and other big tech giants. Gab positions itself as a platform that exists outside the control of these oligarchs, promising to provide users with a space for free speech. For those who feel marginalized or silenced within Facebook’s walled garden Gab serves as a sanctuary where they can share ideas, opinions, and perspectives that may not align with mainstream narrative.

Gab’s unique role in providing a space for people to access information and news that is often absent from mainstream platforms is of increasing importance. The social media landscape, controlled largely by a handful of influential entities, has the power to shape public opinion and control the narrative surrounding important issues. Alternative platforms like Gab challenge this dominance by allowing individuals to seek out alternative sources of news and information. This diverse range of perspectives enables users to critically analyze mainstream narratives, encouraging a healthy skepticism and a deeper understanding of complex societal matters.

One of Gab’s defining features is its commitment to upholding freedom of speech. While this commitment has sparked debates and controversies, it also plays a vital role in enabling individuals to express themselves without fear of censorship or retribution. Big tech platforms, influenced by various factors such as political pressures or corporate interests, engage in heavy-handed content moderation that limits the scope of discourse. This is by design. Those in power don’t want you thinking outside of their failed egalitarian globohomo liberal worldview. Gab, as a platform that values unrestricted speech, allows marginalized voices to be heard and provides a space for “unpopular opinions.”

Gab’s role as an alternative platform offering access to information and news not found on mainstream big tech platforms should not be underestimated. It provides an escape from the echo chamber, challenges media narratives, upholds freedom of speech, and encourages healthy debate and critical thinking.

Facebook’s new Twitter competitor, Threads, enters the social media arena amidst concerns about the company’s control over the flow of information and news online. The early censorship of conservative users within the platform’s first 24 hours highlights the potential pitfalls of entrusting a single entity with such immense power. It underscores the importance of alternative platforms like Gab, which strive to exist outside the influence of big tech oligarchs, providing users with an outlet for expression and diverse perspectives. Fostering a balanced information ecosystem that upholds free speech will be crucial for creating a healthier online space for everyone and that’s what we intend to do here at Gab.

Andrew Torba
CEO, Gab.com

Threads: Twitter threatens legal action over Meta's new app
Published 5 hours ago
By Bernd Debusmann Jr
BBC News, Washington DC

Twitter is considering legal action against Meta over its fast-growing rival app Threads.

Threads, which was launched to millions on Wednesday, is similar to Twitter and has been pitched by Meta bosses as a "friendly" alternative.

Twitter's Elon Musk said "competition is fine, cheating is not" - but Meta denied claims in a legal letter that ex-Twitter staff helped create Threads.

More than 30 million people have signed up for the new app, according to Meta.

That is less than a tenth of the estimated 350 million users on Twitter, according to Statista.

According to an SEC filing from 2013, it took Twitter four years to build the same number of users that Threads gained in a day - though Twitter grew its userbase from scratch, while Threads was able to tap into the pre-existing two billion monthly users Meta says Instagram has.

The look and feel of Threads are similar to those of Twitter, BBC News technology reporter James Clayton noted. He said the news feed and the reposting were "incredibly familiar".

But US copyright law does not protect ideas, so for Twitter to be successful in court it would have to prove that its own intellectual property, such as programming code, was taken.

And in 2012 Meta was granted a patent for "communicating a newsfeed" - the system that displays all the latest posts when you use Facebook.

In a move first reported by news outlet Semafor, Twitter attorney Alex Spiro sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday accusing Meta of "systematic, wilful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property" to create Threads.

Specifically, Mr Spiro alleged that Meta had hired dozens of former Twitter employees who "had and continue to have access to Twitter's trade secrets and other highly confidential information" that ultimately helped Meta develop what he termed the "copycat" Threads app.

"Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information," the letter says.

"Twitter reserves all rights, including, but not limited to, the right to seek both civil remedies and injunctive relief without further notice."

BBC News, which has seen a copy of the letter, has contacted both Meta and Twitter for comment.

Mr Musk said that "competition is fine, cheating is not" in response to a post on Twitter that referred to the legal letter.

On Threads, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone posted that "no one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee - that's just not a thing".

Sarah Kunst, managing director at venture capital firm Cleo Capital, told the BBC's Today programme Threads could offer a "brand-safe environment" for existing Instagram advertisers who "feel they can allocate some budget and see what happens".

She added that while the app reaching 30 million users could be the result of an initial rush, it will likely see a steady increase in users.

"They've made it very easy to cross-post to other platforms like Instagram, so I think that we'll continue to see growth," she said.

Both Mr Musk and Mr Zuckerberg have acknowledged the rivalry over Threads, which is linked to Instagram but works as a standalone app.

As it launched in 100 countries, Mr Zuckerberg broke more than 11 years of silence on Twitter to post a highly popular meme of two nearly identical Spider-Man figures pointing at each other, indicating a stand-off.

Shortly after, and as the word "Threads" trended globally on his platform, Mr Musk said: "It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram."

Table showing how Threads and Twitter compare, with Threads allowing posts of 500 characters compared with Twitter's 280, and 5 minute videos compared with 2min 20 secs. Both allow links, photos, and deleting posts but Twitter allows direct messaging, shows trending stories, and uses hashtags which Threads doesn't. Threads has verification but it is one of the services that you have to pay to access on Twitter, along with longer posts and videos and an editing function.



Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a tweet on Thursday that while the platform, is "often imitated" it "can never be duplicated".

Both Meta and Twitter have undertaken significant layoffs this year, with Meta announcing in April that it would cut staff levels by approximately 10,000.

Twitter lost a large proportion of its 7,500 employees, as high as 80%, in waves of redundancies following Mr Musk's takeover last October.

Twitter loses nearly half advertising revenue since Elon Musk takeover
Published 8 hours ago
By Jemma Dempsey
BBC News

Twitter has lost almost half of its advertising revenue since it was bought by Elon Musk for $44bn (£33.6bn) last October, its owner has revealed.

He said the company had not seen the increase in sales that had been expected in June, but added that July was a "bit more promising".

Mr Musk sacked about half of Twitter's 7,500 staff when he took over in 2022 in an effort to cut costs.

Rival app Threads now has 150 million users, according to some estimates.

Its in-built connection to Instagram automatically gives the Meta-designed platform access to a potential two billion users.

Meanwhile, Twitter is struggling under a heavy debt load. Cash flow remains negative, Mr Musk said at the weekend, although the billionaire did not put a time frame on the 50% drop in ad revenue.

In a tweet he said: "Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else."

Lucy Coutts, investment director at JM Finn, told the BBC's Today programme she thought Mr Musk would be able to turn Twitter around "but it is just going to take longer".

"But unfortunately he has got $13bn of debt to pay by the end of July so we may see more pressure on the shares in Tesla if he has to sell more of his stake in that company."

Mr Musk is also the chief executive and majority shareholder of electric car-maker Tesla, which will report its latest quarterly financial results on Wednesday.

After laying off thousands of employees and cutting cloud service bills, Mr Musk said Twitter was on track to post $3bn (£2.29bn) in revenue in 2023, down from $5.1bn in 2021.

The development is the latest sign the aggressive cost-cutting measures have not been enough to ignite a return of advertisers who fled after changes to its content moderation rules.

That is despite an interview Mr Musk gave to the BBC in April, in which he suggested that most had returned to the site.

However, Meghana Dhar, the former head of partnerships at Snap and Meta, which owns the new Twitter rival Threads, said the company had been struggling prior to Mr Musk's buyout.

"Elon and Twitter are in a candidly tough position right now," she told the BBC's Today programme. "To be fair to Elon though, we've seen that decline in Twitter revenue and growth in revenue since pre-Elon - there's been kind of a steady decline."

Linda Yaccarino, previously head of advertising at NBCUniversal, was taken on as chief executive of Twitter in June - a move suggesting advertising sales are still a priority for the company.

Ms Yaccarino has said Twitter plans to focus on video, creator and commerce partnerships. It is said to be in early talks with political and entertainment figures, payments services, and news and media publishers.

TWO million views!!!

Elon Musk: Time to say goodbye to Twitter logo
Published 6 hours ago
Business reporter, BBC News

Twitter owner Elon Musk has said he wants to get rid of the Twitter bird logo, and replace it with an "X".

However, Mr Musk also has a history of making statements that fail to happen or are not serious.

Mr Musk, who has changed the name of the business to X Corp, said the replacement "should have been done a long time ago".

According to reports, the billionaire wants to create a "super app" called "X" which is similar to China's WeChat.

He said on Sunday he was looking to change Twitter's logo, tweeting: "And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds."

He then added: "If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we'll make [it] go live worldwide tomorrow."

Musk posted an image of a flickering "X" on Twitter, and later in a Twitter Spaces audio chat, replied "Yes" when asked if the Twitter logo will change, adding that "it should have been done a long time ago".

For some people in Asia, super-apps including India's PayTM and Indonesia's GoJek have been a vital part of everyday lives for the past few years.

The apps let users pay for services through a finance system.

WeChat is a messaging and social media platform that has evolved into one of the region's biggest apps in terms of its range of services and number of users.

Last year, it was estimated to have 1.29 billion users in China alone.

Bird logo

Since Mr Musk bought Twitter in October 2022, the company has changed its business name to X Corp.

Twitter's website says its logo, depicting a blue bird, is "our most recognisable asset". "That's why we're so protective of it," it added.

The firm temporarily replaced the logo in April with Dogecoin's Shiba Inu dog, helping drive a surge in the meme coin's market value.

Mr Musk was later accused of insider trading by a group of Dogecoin investors, who claimed he had profited from driving up Dogecoin's value.

The company was criticised by users and marketers when Mr Musk announced earlier this month that there would be a limit on how many tweets per day various account holders can read.

The daily limits helped in the growth of Meta-owned rival service Threads, which had more than 100 million sign-ups in five days of launching.

Twitter's most recent complication was a lawsuit filed on Tuesday that claimed the firm owes at least $500m in severance pay to former employees.

Since Mr Musk bought it, the company has laid off more than half its workforce.