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Wikipedia

Alt-tech

January 01, 1970

This article is about Internet platforms that cater to extremists. For environmentally-friendly technologies, see Alternative technology.

Alt-tech is a collection of social networking services and Internet service providers popular among the alt-right, far-right, and others who espouse extremism or fringe theories, typically because they employ looser content moderation than mainstream platforms.[1][2][3] The term "alt-tech" is a portmanteau of "alt-right" and "Big Tech". In the 2010s, some prominent conservatives and their supporters began to use alt-tech platforms because they had been banned from other social media platforms.[3][4][5][6] Alt-tech platforms describe themselves as protectors of free speech and individual liberty, which researchers and journalists have alleged may be a cover for antisemitism and terrorism.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

History edit

Alt-tech websites were first described in the 2010s. They became popular leading up to the early 2020s due to deplatforming, banning (including shadow banning), and other restrictions imposed on extremists by Big Tech companies. Some right-wing groups claim that these companies censor their views.[1][6] After the Unite the Right rally in August 2017, technology companies such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter were criticized for deplatforming white supremacists.[14] Hope not Hate researcher Joe Mulhall identified the deplatforming of Britain First in 2018, and Tommy Robinson in 2019, as two major events that spurred British social media users to join alternative platforms.[4][15][16] Ethan Zuckerman and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci further referenced the August 2018 deplatforming of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones as a pivotal moment.[17]

In October 2018, alt-tech platform Gab received extensive public scrutiny following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, after it was found that the sole suspect of the attack, Robert Gregory Bowers, had posted a message on Gab indicating an immediate intent to cause harm before the shooting.[18][19] Bowers had a history of making extreme, antisemitic postings on the site.[20] After the shooting, Gab briefly went offline when it was dropped by its hosting provider and denied service by several payment processors.[21][22][23]

The popularity of alt-tech platforms surged in January 2021, when United States president Donald Trump, and many of his prominent followers, were suspended from Twitter and other platforms. Parler, a website with a large proportion of Trump supporters among its userbase, was taken offline when Amazon Web Services suspended their hosting several days after the January 6 storming of the United States Capitol.[24] It was restarted with a new host on February 15, 2021.[25]

In July 2021, an example of alt-tech hardware was announced as the "Freedom Phone"—a smartphone that promoted privacy-oriented features and an "uncensorable" app store. It was found that the device was merely a white-label version of a Chinese smartphone produced by Umidigi, with a modified Android firmware pre-loaded with apps popular among the target audience, and a rebranded version of an open source client for Google Play Store (rather than the independent app store implied in its promotional materials).[26][27]

By 2022, The New York Times and The Guardian described a crowded marketplace of alt-tech platforms.[28][29] The Times noted that alt-tech platforms claiming censorship by Twitter, such as Gettr, Parler, and Rumble have mostly advertised themselves on Twitter.[28]

In February 2022, Trump launched a Twitter alternative, Truth Social, after establishing a messaging platform outside of Twitter,[28][29] such as a now discontinued Trump blog.[30] During development, Truth Social did not at first acknowledge using Mastodon's open source code, and was given an ultimatum by Mastodon,[31] quietly admitting to the use of Mastodon code later on.[31][32][33] Truth Social's launch was accompanied by substantial technical difficulties.[34][32] The platform's terms of service include an incongruous clause that users may not "disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Site."[32][35] According to a report from consumer rights group Public Citizen, alt tech platforms with a supposed focus on free speech include the censorship of some liberal and conservative viewpoints, as well as the routine content moderation on other platforms, creating an "echo chamber". Based on the report, Truth Social was found to shadowban users that disagree with the site's narrative as well as a swathe of other content including some conservative content. "Truth Social" has banned content mentioning liberal views on abortion and the Congressional hearings on the January 6th Capitol attack.[36][37][38]

Research edit

Deen Freelon and colleagues, publishing in Science in September 2020, wrote that some alt-tech websites are specifically dedicated to serving right-wing communities, naming 4chan (founded in 2003), 8chan (2013), Gab (2016), BitChute (2017) and Parler (2018) as examples. They noted that others were more ideologically neutral, such as Discord and Telegram.[1] Discord and Telegram have been used by QAnon conspiracy theorists to promote terrorism, which contributed to the January 6th attack.[13] Discord later worked to remove right-wing extremists from its userbase, and became a more mainstream platform.[39] Joe Mulhall, a senior researcher for the UK anti-racism organization Hope not Hate, also distinguishes groups of alt-tech platforms: he says that some of them, such as DLive and Telegram, are "co-opted platforms" which have become widely popular among the far-right because of their minimal moderation; others including BitChute, Gab, and Parler are "bespoke platforms" which were created by people who themselves have "far-right leanings".[2] Ethan Zuckerman and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci, in contrast, described alt-tech services in explicitly political terms in a 2021 article for the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University:

We use the alt-tech term to refer to platforms that offer a promise of uncensored speech, which exist specifically to give a space for far-right, nationalist, racist, or extremist points of view, and which harbor a broad sense of grievance that speech has been "censored" for failure to be "politically correct." Many, but not all of these alt-tech sites are far-right communities.

— Ethan Zuckerman and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci[17]

Researchers found that alt-tech platforms can be used by hate groups for mobilization and recruitment, which they considered more dangerous than users expressing their opinions.[40]

Austrian researcher Julia Ebner has described alt-tech platforms as "ultra-libertarian".[41]

Platforms edit

List of alt-tech platforms edit

Type Company Citations Active
Microblogging Gab [1][3][6][42][43] Yes
Gettr [44][28][43] Yes
Parler [1][4][42][45] No
Truth Social [28][43] Yes
Online video platform BitChute [1][42][46] Yes
DLive [24][47] Yes
DTube [46] Yes
Odysee [48][49] Yes
PewTube [3][6] No
Rumble [24][45] Yes
TokenTube [50] Yes
Triller [45] Yes
Crowdfunding GiveSendGo [51][52][53] Yes
Hatreon [6][17] No
SubscribeStar [54][55] Yes
WeSearchr [5] No
GoyFundMe [56][57] Yes
Social networking service MeWe [24][45] Yes
Minds [42][58] Yes
Slug [59] Yes
Telegram [60][24] Yes
Thinkspot [61][62][63][64] Yes
WrongThink [3] Yes
News aggregator Patriots.win [65] Yes
Voat [5][45] No
Wiki encyclopedia Infogalactic [3][5] Yes
Metapedia [66][67][68][69][70][71] Yes
Imageboard 8kun [1][58] Yes
Online dating service WASP Love [3] Yes
Pastebin JustPaste.it [58] Yes
Domain name registrar and
web hosting 		Epik [7][72] Yes
Civic engagement platform CloutHub [24] Yes
Email service Proton Mail [73][74][75] Yes

See also edit

References edit

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January 01, 1970
tech, this, article, about, internet, platforms, that, cater, extremists, environmentally, friendly, technologies, alternative, technology, collection, social, networking, services, internet, service, providers, popular, among, right, right, others, espouse, e. This article is about Internet platforms that cater to extremists For environmentally friendly technologies see Alternative technology Alt tech is a collection of social networking services and Internet service providers popular among the alt right far right and others who espouse extremism or fringe theories typically because they employ looser content moderation than mainstream platforms 1 2 3 The term alt tech is a portmanteau of alt right and Big Tech In the 2010s some prominent conservatives and their supporters began to use alt tech platforms because they had been banned from other social media platforms 3 4 5 6 Alt tech platforms describe themselves as protectors of free speech and individual liberty which researchers and journalists have alleged may be a cover for antisemitism and terrorism 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Contents 1 History 2 Research 3 Platforms 3 1 List of alt tech platforms 4 See also 5 ReferencesHistory editAlt tech websites were first described in the 2010s They became popular leading up to the early 2020s due to deplatforming banning including shadow banning and other restrictions imposed on extremists by Big Tech companies Some right wing groups claim that these companies censor their views 1 6 After the Unite the Right rally in August 2017 technology companies such as Google Facebook and Twitter were criticized for deplatforming white supremacists 14 Hope not Hate researcher Joe Mulhall identified the deplatforming of Britain First in 2018 and Tommy Robinson in 2019 as two major events that spurred British social media users to join alternative platforms 4 15 16 Ethan Zuckerman and Chand Rajendra Nicolucci further referenced the August 2018 deplatforming of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones as a pivotal moment 17 In October 2018 alt tech platform Gab received extensive public scrutiny following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting after it was found that the sole suspect of the attack Robert Gregory Bowers had posted a message on Gab indicating an immediate intent to cause harm before the shooting 18 19 Bowers had a history of making extreme antisemitic postings on the site 20 After the shooting Gab briefly went offline when it was dropped by its hosting provider and denied service by several payment processors 21 22 23 The popularity of alt tech platforms surged in January 2021 when United States president Donald Trump and many of his prominent followers were suspended from Twitter and other platforms Parler a website with a large proportion of Trump supporters among its userbase was taken offline when Amazon Web Services suspended their hosting several days after the January 6 storming of the United States Capitol 24 It was restarted with a new host on February 15 2021 25 In July 2021 an example of alt tech hardware was announced as the Freedom Phone a smartphone that promoted privacy oriented features and an uncensorable app store It was found that the device was merely a white label version of a Chinese smartphone produced by Umidigi with a modified Android firmware pre loaded with apps popular among the target audience and a rebranded version of an open source client for Google Play Store rather than the independent app store implied in its promotional materials 26 27 By 2022 The New York Times and The Guardian described a crowded marketplace of alt tech platforms 28 29 The Times noted that alt tech platforms claiming censorship by Twitter such as Gettr Parler and Rumble have mostly advertised themselves on Twitter 28 In February 2022 Trump launched a Twitter alternative Truth Social after establishing a messaging platform outside of Twitter 28 29 such as a now discontinued Trump blog 30 During development Truth Social did not at first acknowledge using Mastodon s open source code and was given an ultimatum by Mastodon 31 quietly admitting to the use of Mastodon code later on 31 32 33 Truth Social s launch was accompanied by substantial technical difficulties 34 32 The platform s terms of service include an incongruous clause that users may not disparage tarnish or otherwise harm in our opinion us and or the Site 32 35 According to a report from consumer rights group Public Citizen alt tech platforms with a supposed focus on free speech include the censorship of some liberal and conservative viewpoints as well as the routine content moderation on other platforms creating an echo chamber Based on the report Truth Social was found to shadowban users that disagree with the site s narrative as well as a swathe of other content including some conservative content Truth Social has banned content mentioning liberal views on abortion and the Congressional hearings on the January 6th Capitol attack 36 37 38 Research editDeen Freelon and colleagues publishing in Science in September 2020 wrote that some alt tech websites are specifically dedicated to serving right wing communities naming 4chan founded in 2003 8chan 2013 Gab 2016 BitChute 2017 and Parler 2018 as examples They noted that others were more ideologically neutral such as Discord and Telegram 1 Discord and Telegram have been used by QAnon conspiracy theorists to promote terrorism which contributed to the January 6th attack 13 Discord later worked to remove right wing extremists from its userbase and became a more mainstream platform 39 Joe Mulhall a senior researcher for the UK anti racism organization Hope not Hate also distinguishes groups of alt tech platforms he says that some of them such as DLive and Telegram are co opted platforms which have become widely popular among the far right because of their minimal moderation others including BitChute Gab and Parler are bespoke platforms which were created by people who themselves have far right leanings 2 Ethan Zuckerman and Chand Rajendra Nicolucci in contrast described alt tech services in explicitly political terms in a 2021 article for the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University We use the alt tech term to refer to platforms that offer a promise of uncensored speech which exist specifically to give a space for far right nationalist racist or extremist points of view and which harbor a broad sense of grievance that speech has been censored for failure to be politically correct Many but not all of these alt tech sites are far right communities Ethan Zuckerman and Chand Rajendra Nicolucci 17 Researchers found that alt tech platforms can be used by hate groups for mobilization and recruitment which they considered more dangerous than users expressing their opinions 40 Austrian researcher Julia Ebner has described alt tech platforms as ultra libertarian 41 Platforms editList of alt tech platforms edit Type Company Citations Active Microblogging Gab 1 3 6 42 43 Yes Gettr 44 28 43 Yes Parler 1 4 42 45 No Truth Social 28 43 Yes Online video platform BitChute 1 42 46 Yes DLive 24 47 Yes DTube 46 Yes Odysee 48 49 Yes PewTube 3 6 No Rumble 24 45 Yes TokenTube 50 Yes Triller 45 Yes Crowdfunding GiveSendGo 51 52 53 Yes Hatreon 6 17 No SubscribeStar 54 55 Yes WeSearchr 5 No GoyFundMe 56 57 Yes Social networking service MeWe 24 45 Yes Minds 42 58 Yes Slug 59 Yes Telegram 60 24 Yes Thinkspot 61 62 63 64 Yes WrongThink 3 Yes News aggregator Patriots win 65 Yes Voat 5 45 No Wiki encyclopedia Infogalactic 3 5 Yes Metapedia 66 67 68 69 70 71 Yes Imageboard 8kun 1 58 Yes Online dating service WASP Love 3 Yes Pastebin JustPaste it 58 Yes Domain name registrar andweb hosting Epik 7 72 Yes Civic engagement platform CloutHub 24 Yes Email service Proton Mail 73 74 75 YesSee also editBig Tech Deplatforming Freedom of speech Platform economy Surveillance capitalism Technology and societyReferences edit a b c d e f g Freelon Deen Marwick Alice Kreiss Daniel September 4 2020 False equivalencies Online activism from left to right Science 369 6508 1197 1201 Bibcode 2020Sci 369 1197F doi 10 1126 science abb2428 ISSN 0036 8075 PMID 32883863 S2CID 221471947 Archived from the original on September 4 2020 Retrieved September 5 2020 freely available version a b Andrews Frank Pym Ambrose February 24 2021 The Websites Sustaining Britain s Far Right Influencers Bellingcat Archived from the original on February 24 2021 Retrieved February 25 2021 a b c d e f g Roose Kevin December 11 2017 The Alt Right Created a Parallel Internet It s an Unholy Mess The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved September 4 2020 a b c Cogley Michael July 6 2020 Alt tech attracts growing number of extremists in Britain The Daily Telegraph ISSN 0307 1235 Retrieved September 4 2020 a b c d Ellis Emma Grey September 27 2017 Red Pilled My Bizarre Week Using the Alt Right s Vision of the Internet Wired ISSN 1059 1028 Retrieved September 4 2020 a b c d e f Malter Jordan November 10 2017 Alt Tech platforms A haven for fringe views online CNN Money Retrieved September 4 2020 a b Squire Megan July 23 2019 Can Alt Tech Help the Far Right Build an Alternate Internet Fair Observer Retrieved September 4 2020 Silverman Dwight November 12 2020 5 things to know about Parler the right wing friendly social network The Houston Chronicle Archived from the original on November 14 2020 Retrieved November 12 2020 Parler Where the Mainstream Mingles with the Extreme Anti Defamation League November 12 2020 Archived from the original on November 14 2020 Retrieved November 14 2020 Saul Isaac July 18 2019 This Twitter Alternative Was Supposed To Be Nicer But Bigots Love It Already The Forward Archived from the original on June 30 2020 Retrieved August 4 2020 Zannettou Savvas Bradlyn Barry De Cristofaro Emiliano et al March 13 2018 What is Gab A Bastion of Free Speech or an Alt Right Echo Chamber Companion of the Web Conference 2018 on the Web Conference 2018 WWW 18 Lyon France Association for Computing Machinery pp 1007 1014 arXiv 1802 05287 doi 10 1145 3184558 3191531 ISBN 978 1 4503 5640 4 S2CID 13853370 Katz Rita October 29 2018 Inside the Online Cesspool of Anti Semitism That Housed Robert Bowers Politico Magazine Archived from the original on May 2 2020 Retrieved December 24 2018 a b Ebner Kavanagh Whitehouse December 2022 The QAnon security threat a linguistic fusion based violence risk assessment PDF Perspectives on Terrorism 16 6 62 86 ISSN 2334 3745 Retrieved August 20 2023 Fielitz Maik Thurston Nick December 31 2018 Post digital cultures of the far right online actions and offline consequences in Europe and the US Bielefeld Germany Transcript Verlag ISBN 978 3 8394 4670 6 OCLC 1082971164 Field Matthew March 14 2018 Facebook bans pages of Britain First and leaders Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen The Daily Telegraph ISSN 0307 1235 Retrieved September 4 2020 Hamilton Isobel Asher February 26 2019 Facebook has banned far right activist Tommy Robinson for spreading Islamophobia Business Insider Retrieved September 4 2020 a b c Zuckerman Ethan Rajendra Nicolucci Chand January 11 2021 Deplatforming Our Way to the Alt Tech Ecosystem Knight First Amendment Institute Columbia University Archived from the original on January 11 2021 Retrieved January 16 2021 Hutchinson Bill Levine Mike Weinstein Janet Seyler Matt October 28 2018 Screw the optics I m going in Alleged shooter posts on social media before attack ABC News Archived from the original on July 22 2019 Retrieved July 3 2019 Trautwein Catherine Thompson A C November 16 2018 Brothers Whom Authorities Linked to Pittsburgh Shooting Suspect Had Flyer Supporting Neo Nazi Group Officials Say ProPublica Archived from the original on November 28 2018 Retrieved August 28 2019 Pagliery Jose Toropin Konstantin October 30 2018 Social network Gab a home for anti Semitic speech produced some of its own CNN Archived from the original on October 31 2018 Retrieved November 13 2018 Molina Brett October 29 2018 Gab the social network used by accused Pittsburgh synagogue shooter goes offline USA Today Archived from the original on October 29 2018 Retrieved October 30 2018 Linton Caroline November 3 2018 Gab gets new domain host expects to be back online Sunday CBS News Archived from the original on November 5 2018 Retrieved November 5 2018 Baker Mike November 4 2018 Seattle area company helps fringe site Gab return in wake of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting The Seattle Times Archived from the original on May 5 2019 Retrieved May 5 2019 a b c d e f Wilson Jason January 13 2021 Rightwingers flock to alt tech networks as mainstream sites ban Trump The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved January 16 2021 Allyn Bobby Treisman Rachel February 15 2021 After Weeks Of Being Offline Parler Finds A New Web Host NPR org Retrieved November 22 2022 Amadeo Ron July 20 2021 The MAGA targeted Freedom Phone has a breathtaking amount of red flags Ars Technica Retrieved July 20 2021 Sommer Will July 15 2021 MAGA World s Freedom Phone Actually Budget Chinese Phone The Daily Beast Retrieved August 28 2021 a b c d e Goldstein Matthew Mac Ryan February 18 2022 Trump s Truth Social Is Poised to Join a Crowded Field New York Times a b Pilkington Ed February 20 2022 Trump Truth Social app will be fully operational by end of March Nunes says The Guardian Retrieved September 27 2023 Breuninger Kevin June 2 2021 Trump blog page shuts down for good CNBC Retrieved February 23 2022 a b Coldewey Devin October 29 2021 Mastodon issues 30 day ultimatum to Trump s social network over misuse of its code TechCrunch Retrieved September 27 2023 a b c Harwell Drew February 22 2022 Trump s Truth Social s disastrous launch raises doubts about its long term viability Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved September 27 2023 Kan Michael December 1 2021 Trump s Social Media Site Quietly Admits It s Based on Mastodon PCMag Danner Chas February 21 2022 Trump s Social Network App Launches Without a Social Network Intelligencer Retrieved February 23 2022 Bort Ryan October 21 2021 Trump s New Free Speech App Prohibits Users From Making Fun of It Rolling Stone Retrieved February 23 2022 Leonard Kimberly August 2 2022 Trump s purported free speech social media platform Truth Social is hiding user posts threatening to create a curated echo chamber research group finds Business Insider Retrieved August 3 2022 Hunt Majer Cheyenne August 2 2022 Truth Can t Handle the Truth Public Citizen Retrieved August 3 2022 Spangler Todd June 10 2022 Trump s Truth Social Is Banning Users Who Post About Jan 6 Hearings According to Reports Variety Retrieved August 3 2022 Brown Abram June 30 2020 Discord Was Once The Alt Right s Favorite Chat App Now It s Gone Mainstream And Scored A New 3 5 Billion Valuation Forbes Retrieved May 18 2021 Donovan Joan Lewis Becca Friedberg Brian December 31 2018 Parallel Ports Sociotechnical Change from the Alt Right to Alt Tech In Fielitz Maik Thurston Nick eds Post Digital Cultures of the Far Right Online Actions and Offline Consequences in Europe and the US Bielefeld Germany Transcript Verlag pp 49 66 doi 10 14361 9783839446706 004 ISBN 978 3 8394 4670 6 Ebner Julia September 5 2019 Replatforming Unreality Journal of Design 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supremacists raise money for NY Times neo Nazi Times of Israel Retrieved March 18 2024 a b c Ebner Julia February 10 2020 Swiping right into the alt right online dating world Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved January 9 2021 Baele Stephane J Brace Lewys Coan Travis G 2021 Variations on a Theme Comparing 4chan 8kun and Other chans Far Right pol Boards Perspectives on Terrorism 15 1 65 80 ISSN 2334 3745 JSTOR 26984798 via JSTOR Rogers Richard June 2020 Deplatforming Following extreme Internet celebrities to Telegram and alternative social media European Journal of Communication 35 3 213 229 doi 10 1177 0267323120922066 ISSN 0267 3231 S2CID 218914493 Martinez Ignacio June 13 2019 Jordan Peterson is releasing a free speech alternative to Patreon called Thinkspot The Daily Dot Archived from the original on April 17 2020 Retrieved April 17 2020 Kassel Matthew July 24 2019 Jordan Peterson s Starting A Free Speech Hub And Extremists Are Intrigued The Forward Archived from the original on July 25 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Conservapedia too pinko Try Metapedia Aryans battle Cultural Marxism Theregister co uk Situation Publishing Archived from the original on June 28 2011 Retrieved March 9 2011 Schweyer Cleo July 15 2009 L extreme droite s offre une seconde jeunesse sur le web The far right gets a new lease of life on the web cafebabel fr in French Babel International Archived from the original on July 20 2011 Retrieved March 9 2011 Metapedia als nationales Pendant zu Wikipedia Metapedia as a nationalist counterpart to Wikipedia PDF Annual Report on the Protection of the Constitution North Rhine Westphalia State Office for the Protection of the Constitution Report in German Ministry of Interior of North Rhine Westphalia 2008 p 59f Archived from the original PDF on May 15 2013 Sobel Fitts Alexis June 21 2017 Welcome to the Wikipedia of the Alt Right Wired ISSN 1059 1028 Retrieved April 8 2021 Makuch Ben May 8 2019 The Far Right Has Found a Web Host Savior Vice Archived from the original on August 22 2019 Retrieved May 10 2019 Zetter Kim November 19 2015 Security Manual Reveals the OPSEC Advice ISIS Gives Recruits Wired Archived from the original on April 5 2024 Makuch Ben Lamoureux Mack April 17 2019 After Facebook and Web Host Bans Far Right Extremists Are Encrypting and Going IRL Vice Archived from the original on March 6 2024 Hayden Michael August 7 2019 U S State Department Official Involved in White Nationalist Movement Hatewatch Determines Southern Poverty Law Center Archived from the original on April 12 2024 Peinovich is among the most influential and significant figures of the contemporary racist right He has produced thousands of hours of podcasts that helped shape the white nationalist alt right movement and buoy the candidacy of President Donald Trump Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alt tech amp oldid 1221013676, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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