Mastodon released a statement in protest, denouncing Gab as trying to 'monetize and platform racist content while hiding behind the banner of free speech'. In July 2019, Gab switched its software infrastructure to a Mastodon fork, a free and open-source social network platform. The company also maintains an email service, text messaging service, news aggregation website, advertising platform, web browser, and browser extension to allow commenting on third-party websites. Users of Gab can publish posts, initiate private chats, join groups, livestream and buy products.

Gab's functionality is similar to that of Twitter. In 2021, Gab was among the platforms used to plan the United States Capitol attack on January 6. After the shooting, Gab briefly went offline when it was dropped by its hosting provider and denied service by several payment processors. The perpetrator of the attack, Robert Gregory Bowers, had a history of making extreme, antisemitic postings on the platform, as well as messages indicating an immediate intent to cause harm before the shooting. The site received extensive public scrutiny following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in October 2018. Researchers note that Gab has been 'repeatedly linked to radicalization leading to real-world violent events'. Gab CEO Andrew Torba has promoted the white genocide conspiracy theory. Antisemitism is prominent in the site's content and the company itself has engaged in antisemitic commentary. Researchers and journalists have characterized these assertions as an obfuscation of its extremist ecosystem.

Founded in 2016 and launched publicly in May 2017, Gab claims to promote free speech, individual liberty, the 'free flow of information online', and Christian values. Widely described as a haven for neo-Nazis, racists, white supremacists, white nationalists, antisemites, the alt-right, supporters of Donald Trump, conservatives, right-libertarians, and believers in conspiracy theories such as QAnon, Gab has attracted users and groups who have been banned from other social media platforms and users seeking alternatives to mainstream social media platforms. Gab is an American alt-tech microblogging and social networking service known for its far-right userbase.

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