REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton
Gab—the niche, hate-filled social network where alleged Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers was an active participant—went offline early Monday morning. The deaths of 11 innocent people shone a light on the contents of the site, where Bowers even purportedly boasted about his attack in advance of carrying it out at the Tree of Life synagogue. After the attack, some companies that had worked with Gab, including domain registrar GoDaddy, announced they were cutting ties. “We have been systematically no-platformed by App Stores, multiple hosting providers, and several payment processors,” a statement on the social network read on Monday morning. “We have been smeared by the mainstream media for defending free expression and individual liberty for all people and for working with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served for the horrible atrocity committed in Pittsburgh.” Notably, Gab actually celebrated the massive attention it received after Bowers’ posts, which included anti-Semitic slurs and threats against Jews, were discovered. The statement continued: “Gab will continue to fight for the fundamental human right to speak freely. As we transition to a new hosting provider Gab will be inaccessible for a period of time. We are working around the clock to get Gab.com back online. Thank you and remember to speak freely.”