Microsoft Threatened to Stop Hosting the Alt-Right’s Favorite Social Network
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The company didn't want to host language that could incite violence.
Thursday morning, Microsoft sent an ultimatum to the social networking site Gab: Take down two anti-Semitic posts from the platform in the next 48 hours, or we’ll stop hosting your site on our servers.
Gab founder Andrew Torba posted the email to Twitter in addition to his site, which has become a water cooler for neo-Nazis and the alt-right since it launched two years ago.
The two posts in question both came from Patrick Little, a far-right Senate candidate who was kicked out of the GOP convention this spring for spewing anti-Semitic comments. He denies the Holocaust and told Newsweek that he sees Adolf Hitler as “the second coming of Christ.”
The two posts in question both came from Patrick Little, a far-right Senate candidate who was kicked out of the GOP convention this spring for spewing anti-Semitic comments. He denies the Holocaust and told Newsweek that he sees Adolf Hitler as “the second coming of Christ.”
“We believe we have an important responsibility to ensure that our services are not abused by people and groups seeking to incite violence against others,” Microsoft wrote in a statement to Quartz.
Gab, which bills itself as a “free speech” alternative to Twitter, is “actively looking” into other hosting providers despite compelling Little to comply with Microsoft’s request.
“We believe this was the best decision for the longevity of the platform and the war against Silicon Valley,” Torba wrote on his platform.