# Alt-tech
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{{short description|Internet platforms favored by the alt-right}}
{{about|Internet platforms|environmentally-friendly technologies|Alternative technology}}
{{use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
'''Alt-tech''' is a collection of [social networking](/source/social_networking_service), [online video](/source/online_video_platform), [blogging](/source/blogging) and other platforms and services that provide alternatives to "[Big Tech](/source/Big_Tech)" platforms and services. The "alt-" prefix alludes to the [alt-right](/source/alt-right) movement.[{{cite web |last1=Hayden |first1=Michael Edison |last2=Lawrence |first2=Megan |last3=Squire |first3=Megan |date=2021-01-14 |title=Deplatforming Our Way to the Alt-Tech Ecosystem |url=https://knightcolumbia.org/blog/deplatforming-our-way-to-the-alt-tech-ecosystem |website=Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University}}]
Alt-tech platforms employ looser [content moderation](/source/content_moderation) and stronger privacy protections than mainstream platforms. They describe themselves as protectors of [free speech](/source/free_speech) and [individual liberty](/source/individual_liberty),[{{cite web |last=Squire |first=Megan |author-link=Megan Squire |date=July 23, 2019 |title=Can Alt-Tech Help the Far Right Build an Alternate Internet? |url=https://www.fairobserver.com/business/technology/alt-tech-far-right-online-extremism-hate-speech-technology-news-19919/ |access-date=September 4, 2020 |website=Fair Observer |language=en-US}}][{{cite web |date=November 12, 2020 |title=Parler: Where the Mainstream Mingles with the Extreme |url=https://www.adl.org/blog/parler-where-the-mainstream-mingles-with-the-extreme |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114212320/https://www.adl.org/blog/parler-where-the-mainstream-mingles-with-the-extreme |archive-date=November 14, 2020 |access-date=November 14, 2020 |website=[Anti-Defamation League](/source/Anti-Defamation_League) |language=en}}][{{cite news |last=Katz |first=Rita |author-link=Rita Katz |date=October 29, 2018 |title=Inside the Online Cesspool of Anti-Semitism That Housed Robert Bowers |work=[Politico Magazine](/source/Politico_Magazine) |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/10/29/inside-the-online-cesspool-of-anti-semitism-that-housed-robert-bowers-221949/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200502061941/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/10/29/inside-the-online-cesspool-of-anti-semitism-that-housed-robert-bowers-221949 |archive-date=May 2, 2020}}] though some researchers have also pointed out such platforms' potential use for recruitment and mobilization by extremist groups.[{{cite journal |last1=Ebner |last2=Kavanagh |last3=Whitehouse |date=December 2022 |title=The QAnon security threat: a linguistic fusion-based violence risk assessment |url=https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/binaries/content/assets/customsites/perspectives-on-terrorism/2022/issue-6/pot-xvi-6-a6-ebner-et-al.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Perspectives on Terrorism |volume=16 |issue=6 |pages=62–86 |issn=2334-3745 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114102320/https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/binaries/content/assets/customsites/perspectives-on-terrorism/2022/issue-6/pot-xvi-6-a6-ebner-et-al.pdf |archive-date=January 14, 2024 |access-date=August 20, 2023}}][{{cite news |last=Roose |first=Kevin |author-link=Kevin Roose |date=December 11, 2017 |title=The Alt-Right Created a Parallel Internet. It's an Unholy Mess |language=en-US |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/technology/alt-right-internet.html |access-date=September 4, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}][{{cite news |last=Cogley |first=Michael |date=July 6, 2020 |title='Alt-tech' attracts growing number of extremists in Britain |language=en-GB |work=[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph) |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/07/06/alt-tech-attracts-growing-number-extremists-britain/ |access-date=September 4, 2020 |issn=0307-1235}}][{{cite magazine |last=Ellis |first=Emma Grey |date=September 27, 2017 |title=Red Pilled: My Bizarre Week Using the Alt-Right's Vision of the Internet |language=en-us |magazine=[Wired](/source/Wired_(magazine)) |url=https://www.wired.com/story/alt-tech-social-media/ |access-date=September 4, 2020 |issn=1059-1028}}][{{cite web |last=Malter |first=Jordan |date=November 10, 2017 |title=Alt-Tech platforms: A haven for fringe views online |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/11/10/technology/culture/divided-we-code-alt-tech/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326093213/https://money.cnn.com/2017/11/10/technology/culture/divided-we-code-alt-tech/index.html |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |access-date=September 4, 2020 |website=[CNN Money](/source/CNN_Money)}}] They became popular leading up to the early 2020s due to [deplatforming](/source/deplatforming), banning (including [shadow banning](/source/shadow_banning)), and other restrictions imposed on extremists by [Big Tech](/source/Big_Tech) companies. Some [right-wing](/source/right-wing) groups claim that these companies censor their views.[{{cite journal |last1=Freelon |first1=Deen |last2=Marwick |first2=Alice |last3=Kreiss |first3=Daniel |author-link2=Alice Marwick |date=September 4, 2020 |title=False equivalencies: Online activism from left to right |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abb2428 |journal=[Science](/source/Science_(journal)) |language=en |volume=369 |issue=6508 |pages=1197–1201 |doi=10.1126/science.abb2428 |issn=0036-8075 |pmid=32883863 |bibcode=2020Sci...369.1197F |s2cid=221471947 |url-access=subscription |access-date=September 5, 2020 |archive-date=September 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904084524/https://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6508/1197 |url-status=live }} ([http://dfreelon.org/publications/2020_False_equivalencies_Online_activism_from_left_to_right.pdf freely available version])][{{cite book |title=Post-digital cultures of the far right : online actions and offline consequences in Europe and the US |last1=Fielitz |first1=Maik |last2=Thurston |first2=Nick |year= 2018 |isbn=978-3-8394-4670-6 |location=Bielefeld [Germany] |oclc=1082971164 |publisher=Transcript Verlag }}] [Hope not Hate](/source/Hope_not_Hate) researcher Joe Mulhall identified the deplatforming of [Britain First](/source/Britain_First) in 2018, and [Tommy Robinson](/source/Tommy_Robinson_(activist)) in 2019, as two major events that spurred British social media users to join alternative platforms.[{{cite news |last=Field |first=Matthew |date=March 14, 2018 |title=Facebook bans pages of Britain First and leaders Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen |language=en-GB |work=[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph) |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2018/03/14/facebook-bans-pages-britain-first-leaders-paul-golding-jayda/ |access-date=September 4, 2020 |issn=0307-1235}}][{{cite web |last=Hamilton |first=Isobel Asher |date=February 26, 2019 |title=Facebook has banned far-right activist Tommy Robinson for spreading Islamophobia |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-bans-tommy-robinson-over-islamophobia-2019-2 |access-date=September 4, 2020 |website=[Business Insider](/source/Business_Insider)}}] Ethan Zuckerman and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci further referenced the August 2018 deplatforming of conspiracy theorist [Alex Jones](/source/Alex_Jones) as a pivotal moment.[{{cite news |last1=Hutchinson |first1=Bill |last2=Levine |first2=Mike |last3=Weinstein |first3=Janet |last4=Seyler |first4=Matt |date=October 28, 2018 |title='Screw the optics, I'm going in': Alleged shooter posts on social media before attack |work=[ABC News](/source/ABC_News_(United_States)) |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/pittsburgh-synagogue-alleged-mass-shooter-told-swat-officers/story?id=58803485 |url-status=live |access-date=July 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722205039/https://abcnews.go.com/US/pittsburgh-synagogue-alleged-mass-shooter-told-swat-officers/story?id=58803485 |archive-date=July 22, 2019}}][{{cite news |last1=Trautwein |first1=Catherine |last2=Thompson |first2=A.C. |date=November 16, 2018 |title=Brothers Whom Authorities Linked to Pittsburgh Shooting Suspect Had Flyer Supporting Neo-Nazi Group, Officials Say |publisher=[ProPublica](/source/ProPublica) |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/brothers-whom-authorities-linked-to-pittsburgh-shooting-suspect-had-flyer-supporting-neo-nazi-group-officials-say |url-status=live |access-date=August 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128165933/https://www.propublica.org/article/brothers-whom-authorities-linked-to-pittsburgh-shooting-suspect-had-flyer-supporting-neo-nazi-group-officials-say |archive-date=November 28, 2018}}] Bowers had a history of making extreme, [antisemitic](/source/antisemitism) postings on the site.[{{Cite news |last1=Pagliery |first1=Jose |last2=Toropin |first2=Konstantin |date=October 30, 2018 |title=Social network Gab, a home for anti-Semitic speech, produced some of its own |publisher=[CNN](/source/CNN) |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/30/tech/gab-anti-semitic-speech-invs |url-status=live |access-date=November 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031162843/https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/30/tech/gab-anti-semitic-speech-invs/ |archive-date=October 31, 2018}}] After the shooting, Gab briefly went offline when it was dropped by its hosting provider and denied service by several payment processors.[{{Cite news |last=Molina |first=Brett |date=October 29, 2018 |title=Gab, the social network used by accused Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, goes offline |newspaper=[USA Today](/source/USA_Today) |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2018/10/29/gab-goes-offline-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting/1804582002/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029200235/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2018/10/29/gab-goes-offline-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting/1804582002/ |archive-date=October 29, 2018}}][{{Cite news |last=Linton |first=Caroline |date=November 3, 2018 |title=Gab gets new domain host, expects to be back online Sunday |work=[CBS News](/source/CBS_News) |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gab-new-domain-host-epik-robert-bowers-pittsburgh-shooting |url-status=live |access-date=November 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105062209/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gab-new-domain-host-epik-robert-bowers-pittsburgh-shooting/ |archive-date=November 5, 2018}}][{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Mike |date=November 4, 2018 |title=Seattle-area company helps fringe site Gab return in wake of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting |work=[The Seattle Times](/source/The_Seattle_Times) |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/seattle-area-company-helps-fringe-site-gab-return-in-wake-of-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505044026/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/seattle-area-company-helps-fringe-site-gab-return-in-wake-of-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting/ |archive-date=May 5, 2019}}]
The popularity of alt-tech platforms surged in January 2021, when United States president [Donald Trump](/source/Donald_Trump), and many of his prominent followers, were suspended from Twitter and other platforms. [Parler](/source/Parler), a website with a large proportion of Trump supporters among its user base, was taken offline when [Amazon Web Services](/source/Amazon_Web_Services) suspended its hosting several days after the [January 6 storming of the United States Capitol](/source/2021_storming_of_the_United_States_Capitol).[{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Jason |date=January 13, 2021 |title=Rightwingers flock to 'alt tech' networks as mainstream sites ban Trump |language=en-GB |work=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/social-media-trump-ban-alt-tech-far-right |access-date=January 16, 2021 |issn=0261-3077}}] It was restarted with a new host on February 15, 2021.[{{Cite web|last1=Allyn|first1=Bobby|last2=Treisman|first2=Rachel|date=February 15, 2021|title=After Weeks Of Being Offline, Parler Finds A New Web Host|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/15/968116346/after-weeks-of-being-off-line-parler-finds-a-new-web-host|access-date=November 22, 2022|website=NPR.org|language=en}}]
In July 2021, an example of alt-tech hardware was announced: the "[Freedom Phone](/source/Umidigi_A9)"{{snd}}a [smartphone](/source/smartphone) that promoted privacy-oriented features and an "uncensorable" app store. It was found that the device was merely a [white-label](/source/White-label_product) version of a Chinese smartphone produced by [Umidigi](/source/Umidigi), with a modified [Android](/source/Android_(operating_system)) [firmware](/source/List_of_custom_Android_distributions) pre-loaded with apps popular among the target audience, and a rebranded version of an [open source](/source/open_source) client for [Google Play Store](/source/Google_Play_Store) (rather than the independent app store implied in its promotional materials).[{{Cite web |last=Amadeo |first=Ron |date=2021-07-20 |title=The MAGA-targeted "Freedom Phone" has a breathtaking amount of red flags |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/07/the-maga-targeted-freedom-phone-has-a-breathtaking-amount-of-red-flags/ |access-date=2021-07-20 |website=Ars Technica |language=en}}][{{Cite news |last=Sommer |first=Will |date=2021-07-15 |title=MAGA World's 'Freedom Phone' Actually Budget Chinese Phone |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-worlds-freedom-phone-actually-budget-chinese-phone |access-date=2021-08-28}}]
By 2022, ''[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)'' and ''[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)'' described a crowded marketplace of alt-tech platforms.[{{Cite news |last1=Pilkington |first1=Ed |date=February 20, 2022 |title=Trump Truth Social app will be fully operational by end of March, Nunes says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/20/trump-truth-social-app-fully-operational-march-devin-nunes |access-date=September 27, 2023 |work=The Guardian |language=en}}] ''The Times'' noted that alt-tech platforms claiming censorship by Twitter – such as [Gettr](/source/Gettr), Parler, and Rumble – have mostly advertised themselves on Twitter.[{{Cite web |last=Breuninger |first=Kevin |date=2021-06-02 |title=Trump blog page shuts down for good |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/02/trump-blog-page-shuts-down-for-good.html |access-date=2022-02-23 |website=CNBC |language=en}}] During development, Truth Social did not at first acknowledge using [Mastodon](/source/Mastodon_(software))'s open source code, and was given an ultimatum by Mastodon,[{{cite news |last1=Coldewey |first1=Devin |title=Mastodon issues 30-day ultimatum to Trump's social network over misuse of its code |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/29/mastodon-issues-30-day-ultimatum-to-trumps-social-network-over-misuse-of-its-code/ |access-date=27 September 2023 |work=TechCrunch |date=29 October 2021}}] quietly admitting to the use of Mastodon code later on.[{{Cite news |last1= Harwell |first1=Drew |title=Trump's Truth Social's disastrous launch raises doubts about its long-term viability |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |date=22 February 2022 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/22/trump-truth-social-disaster/ |access-date=27 September 2023 |issn=0190-8286}}][{{cite web |last1=Kan |first1=Michael |date=December 1, 2021 |title=Trump's Social Media Site Quietly Admits It's Based on Mastodon |url=https://uk.pcmag.com/social-media/137421/trumps-social-media-site-quietly-admits-its-based-on-mastodon |website=[PCMag](/source/PCMag)}}] Truth Social's launch was accompanied by substantial technical difficulties.[{{Cite web |last=Danner |first=Chas |date=2022-02-21 |title=Trump's Social-Network App Launches Without a Social Network |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/02/trumps-truth-social-app-launches-without-a-social-network.html |access-date=2022-02-23 |website=Intelligencer |language=en-us}}][{{Cite magazine |last=Bort |first=Ryan |date=2021-10-21 |title=Trump's New Free Speech App Prohibits Users From Making Fun of It |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-truth-social-free-speech-app-terms-1245408/ |access-date=2022-02-23 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}] According to a report from consumer rights group [Public Citizen](/source/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](/source/Moderation_system) on other platforms, creating an "[echo chamber](/source/Echo_chamber_(media))". Based on the report, Truth Social was found to [shadowban](/source/Shadow_banning) 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](/source/abortion) and the [Congressional hearings on the January 6th Capitol attack](/source/Public_hearings_of_the_United_States_House_Select_Committee_on_the_January_6_Attack).[{{Cite web |last=Leonard |first=Kimberly |title=Trump's purported free speech social media platform Truth Social is hiding user posts, threatening to create a 'curated echo chamber,' research group finds |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/truth-social-is-shadow-banning-posts-despite-promise-of-free-speech-2022-8 |date=2 August 2022 |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}][{{Cite web |title=Truth Can't Handle the Truth |url=https://www.citizen.org/article/truth-cant-handle-the-truth/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=Public Citizen |date=August 2, 2022 |first=Cheyenne |last=Hunt-Majer |language=en}}][{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2022-06-10 |title=Trump's Truth Social Is Banning Users Who Post About Jan. 6 Hearings, According to Reports |url=https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/trumps-truth-social-is-banning-users-who-post-about-jan-6-hearings-according-to-reports-1235290726/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}]
== Research ==
Deen Freelon and colleagues, publishing in [''Science''](/source/Science_(journal)) in September 2020, wrote that some alt-tech websites are specifically dedicated to serving [right-wing](/source/right-wing_politics) communities, naming [4chan](/source/4chan) (founded in 2003), [8chan](/source/8chan) (2013), [Gab](/source/Gab_(social_network)) (2016), [BitChute](/source/BitChute) (2017) and [Parler](/source/Parler) (2018) as examples. They noted that others were more ideologically neutral, such as [Discord](/source/Discord_(software)) and [Telegram](/source/Telegram_(software)).[{{Cite web|last=Brown|first=Abram|title=Discord Was Once The Alt-Right's Favorite Chat App. Now It's Gone Mainstream And Scored A New $3.5 Billion Valuation |date=30 June 2020 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/06/30/discord-was-once-the-alt-rights-favorite-chat-app-now-its-gone-mainstream-and-scored-a-new-35-billion-valuation/|access-date=2021-05-18|website=Forbes|language=en}}] Joe Mulhall, a senior researcher for the UK [anti-racism](/source/anti-racism) organization [Hope not Hate](/source/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".[{{Cite web|last1=Andrews|first1=Frank|last2=Pym|first2=Ambrose|date=February 24, 2021|title=The Websites Sustaining Britain's Far-Right Influencers|url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/02/24/the-websites-sustaining-britains-far-right-influencers/|url-status=live|access-date=February 25, 2021|website=[Bellingcat](/source/Bellingcat)|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224170204/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/02/24/the-websites-sustaining-britains-far-right-influencers/ |archive-date=February 24, 2021 }}] [Ethan Zuckerman](/source/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](/source/Knight_Institute) at [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University):
{{Blockquote|text=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.|author=[Ethan Zuckerman](/source/Ethan_Zuckerman) and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci[{{cite web |last1=Zuckerman |first1=Ethan |author-link=Ethan Zuckerman |last2=Rajendra-Nicolucci |first2=Chand |date=January 11, 2021 |title=Deplatforming Our Way to the Alt-Tech Ecosystem |url=https://knightcolumbia.org/content/deplatforming-our-way-to-the-alt-tech-ecosystem |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111182330/https://knightcolumbia.org/content/deplatforming-our-way-to-the-alt-tech-ecosystem |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |access-date=January 16, 2021 |website=[Knight First Amendment Institute](/source/Knight_First_Amendment_Institute) |publisher=[Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University) |language=en}}]|title=|source=}}
Researchers have also found that alt-tech platforms can also be used by far-right extremists for mobilization and recruitment purposes, which is more dangerous than just spreading their viewpoints.[{{cite book |last1=Donovan |first1=Joan |title=Post-Digital Cultures of the Far Right: Online Actions and Offline Consequences in Europe and the US |last2=Lewis |first2=Becca |last3=Friedberg |first3=Brian |date=2018 |publisher=Transcript Verlag |isbn=978-3-8394-4670-6 |editor-last=Fielitz |editor-first=Maik |location=[Bielefeld](/source/Bielefeld), [Germany](/source/Germany) |pages=49–66 |chapter=Parallel Ports: Sociotechnical Change from the Alt-Right to Alt-Tech |doi=10.14361/9783839446706-004 |editor2-last=Thurston |editor2-first=Nick |doi-access=free }}]
Austrian researcher [Julia Ebner](/source/Julia_Ebner) has described alt-tech platforms as "ultra-libertarian".[{{Cite journal |last=Ebner |first=Julia |date=2019-09-05 |title=Replatforming Unreality |url=https://jods.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/k109mlhg/release/1 |language=en |issue=6 |doi=10.21428/7808da6b.e585ddcb |doi-broken-date=May 11, 2026 |journal=Journal of Design and Science }}]
== Platforms ==
=== List of alt-tech platforms ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Type
! Company
! Citations
! Active
|-
| rowspan="4" | [Microblogging](/source/Microblogging)
| [Gab](/source/Gab_(social_network))
| [{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Adam |date=June 24, 2020 |title=What is the right-wing Parler app that MPs and celebrities are joining? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/parler-app-mps-right-wing-twitter-katie-hopkins-a9579241.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630124918/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/parler-app-mps-right-wing-twitter-katie-hopkins-a9579241.html |archive-date=June 30, 2020 |access-date=September 4, 2020 |work=[The Independent](/source/The_Independent) |language=en}}][{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Jason |date=November 4, 2022 |title=Conspiracy Theories About Pelosi Attack Spread Unchecked on 'Alt-tech' Sites, Conservative Media |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2022/11/04/conspiracy-theories-about-pelosi-attack-spread-unchecked-alt-tech-sites-conservative-media |access-date=November 27, 2022 |website=[Southern Poverty Law Center](/source/Southern_Poverty_Law_Center) |language=en}}]
| {{yes}}
|-
| [Gettr](/source/Gettr)
| [{{Cite web |date=2022-02-05 |title=A year after Trump purge, 'alt-tech' offers far-right refuge |first1=David |last1=Klepper |first2=Barbara |last2=Ortutay |url=https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-steve-bannon-technology-business-health-349c44b477cfee34bf3635160bfa74ea |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=[Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press) |language=en}}][{{cite news|work=[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)|date=February 18, 2022|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/business/trumps-truth-social.html|title=Trump's Truth Social Is Poised to Join a Crowded Field |first1=Matthew |last1=Goldstein |first2=Ryan |last2=Mac }}][{{cite web |last=Cohen |first=Jason |date=January 15, 2021 |title=How Mainstream Social Media Data Collection Compares With Alt-Tech Rivals |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-mainstream-social-media-data-collection-compares-with-alt-tech-rivals |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115101603/https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-mainstream-social-media-data-collection-compares-with-alt-tech-rivals |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |access-date=January 19, 2021 |website=[PC Magazine](/source/PCMag) |language=en}}]
| {{Yes}}
|-
| [Truth Social](/source/Truth_Social)
| [{{cite news |last1=Bellemare |first1=Andrea|last2= Nicholson |first2=Katie |last3=Ho |first3=Jason |date=May 21, 2020 |title=How a debunked COVID-19 video kept spreading after Facebook and YouTube took it down |language=en-US |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/alt-tech-platforms-resurface-plandemic-1.5577013 |access-date=January 15, 2021}}]
| {{yes}}
|-
| [DLive](/source/DLive)
| [{{Cite web |last1=Wilson |first1=Jason |last2=Squire |first2=Megan |date=December 19, 2021 |title=Revealed: Startup Creates Streaming Platform for Extremists on Big-Tech Infrastructure |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/12/19/revealed-startup-creates-streaming-platform-extremists-big-tech-infrastructure |access-date=November 27, 2022 |website=[Southern Poverty Law Center](/source/Southern_Poverty_Law_Center) |language=en}}]
| {{yes}}
|-
| [Odysee](/source/Odysee)
| [{{Cite web|title=Odysee aims to build a more freewheeling, independent video platform|url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/07/odysee-launch/|url-status=live|website=Tech Crunch|date=December 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207210152/https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/07/odysee-launch/ |first=Anthony |last=Ha |archive-date=December 7, 2020 }}][{{Cite web |trans-title=Rumble, MeWe, Minds: welcome to alt-tech, far-right social networks |first=Aurore |last=Gayte |lang=fr |title= Rumble, MeWe, Minds : bienvenue dans l'alt-tech, les réseaux sociaux de l'extrême droite et la complosphère |url=https://www.numerama.com/politique/697839-rumble-mewe-minds-bienvenue-dans-lalt-tech-les-reseaux-sociaux-de-lextreme-droite-et-la-complosphere.html |url-status=live |website=Numerama |date=March 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319104632/https://www.numerama.com/politique/697839-rumble-mewe-minds-bienvenue-dans-lalt-tech-les-reseaux-sociaux-de-lextreme-droite-et-la-complosphere.html |archive-date=March 19, 2021 }}]
| {{yes}}
|-
| PewTube
| [{{Cite web |last=Vehkoo |first=Johanna |date=November 2, 2021 |title=Valheenpaljastaja: Internetiin on kaikessa hiljaisuudessa syntynyt Youtuben kaltainen kotimainen kanava, jossa levitetään salaliittoteorioita – tällainen on Tokentube |trans-title= The lie detector: a domestic YouTube-like channel has quietly emerged on the internet to spread conspiracy theories - this is Tokentube |url=https://yle.fi/aihe/a/20-10001506 |access-date=January 18, 2024 |website=[Yle](/source/Yle) |language=fi}}]
|
|-
|[DTube](/source/DTube)
|[{{Cite web |title=What is Decentralized Social Media? |url=https://www.coingecko.com/learn/decentralized-social-media-platforms |access-date=2026-05-09 |website=CoinGecko |language=en}}]
|{{yes}}
|-
| [Triller](/source/Triller_(app))
| [{{Cite magazine |last1=Bergengruen |first1=Vera |last2=Wilson |first2=Chris |date=March 3, 2022 |title=Crowdfunding Site For Right-Wing Causes Generates Windfall |url=https://time.com/6150317/givesendgo-trucker-convoy-canada-profits/ |access-date=2022-11-27 |magazine=[Time](/source/Time_(magazine)) |language=en |archive-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127171241/https://time.com/6150317/givesendgo-trucker-convoy-canada-profits/ |url-status=dead }}][{{Cite web |last=Dalton |first=Ben |date=May 17, 2022 |title=The Evolution of the Tech and Fundraising Platforms for Extremists Kicked Off the Regular Internet |url=https://slate.com/technology/2022/05/alt-tech-internet-extremists-financial-ecosystem.html |access-date=November 27, 2022 |website=[Slate](/source/Slate_(magazine)) |language=en}}][{{cite web |title=Alex Jones' lawsuit losses are not enough |date=October 14, 2022 |first=Yunkang |last=Yang |work=[NBC News](/source/NBC_News) |access-date=11 March 2024 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/alex-jones-getting-sued-lawsuits-are-not-enough-rcna52179 }}]
|{{yes}}
|-
| [Hatreon](/source/Hatreon)
| [{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/7c4285b2-fe2f-11e8-ac00-57a2a826423e|title=PayPal shuts Russian crowdfunder's account after alt-right influx|last=Coulter|first=Martin|date=15 December 2018|work=[Financial Times](/source/Financial_Times)|access-date=8 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181215111758/https://www.ft.com/content/7c4285b2-fe2f-11e8-ac00-57a2a826423e|archive-date=15 December 2018|url-access=subscription}}][{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/stars-of-intellectual-dark-web-scramble-to-save-their-cash-cows|title=Stars of 'Intellectual Dark Web' Scramble to Save Their Cash Cows|last=Sommer|first=Will|date=December 18, 2018|work=[The Daily Beast](/source/The_Daily_Beast)|access-date=March 25, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218151113/https://www.thedailybeast.com/stars-of-intellectual-dark-web-scramble-to-save-their-cash-cows|archive-date=December 18, 2018}}]
|
|-
| [WeSearchr](/source/WeSearchr)
| [{{cite news|last1=Sommer|first1=Allison Kaplan|title=What Is GoyFundMe? The Alt-right's New Fundraising Tool, Explained|url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2017-12-01/ty-article/.premium/what-is-goyfundme-the-alt-rights-new-fundraising-tool-explained/0000017f-f687-d318-afff-f7e752e50000|access-date=December 2, 2017|work=[Haaretz](/source/Haaretz)|date=December 1, 2017}}][{{cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/with-goyfundme-white-supremacists-raise-money-for-ny-times-nazi/ |title=With 'GoyFundMe,' white supremacists raise money for NY Times neo-Nazi |first=Ben |last=Sales |date=1 December 2017 |work=Times of Israel |access-date=18 March 2024 }}]
|
|-
| rowspan="6" | [Social networking service](/source/Social_networking_service)
| [MeWe](/source/MeWe)
| [{{cite web |last=Ebner |first=Julia |date=February 10, 2020 |title=Swiping right into the alt-right online dating world |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/swiping-right-into-the-alt-right-online-dating-world-20191223-p53mgs.html |access-date=January 9, 2021 |website=[Sydney Morning Herald](/source/Sydney_Morning_Herald)}}]
| {{yes}}
|-
| Slug
| [{{Cite journal|last1=Baele|first1=Stephane J.|last2=Brace|first2=Lewys|last3=Coan|first3=Travis G.|date=2021|title=Variations on a Theme? Comparing 4chan, 8kun, and Other chans' Far-Right "/pol" Boards|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26984798|journal=[Perspectives on Terrorism](/source/Perspectives_on_Terrorism)|volume=15|issue=1|pages=65–80|jstor=26984798|issn=2334-3745}}]
|
|-
| [Telegram](/source/Telegram_(software))
| [{{Cite journal |last=Rogers |first=Richard |date=June 2020 |title=Deplatforming: Following extreme Internet celebrities to Telegram and alternative social media |journal=European Journal of Communication |language=en |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=213–229 |doi=10.1177/0267323120922066 |s2cid=218914493 |issn=0267-3231|doi-access=free }}][{{cite web |last1=Martinez |first1=Ignacio |title=Jordan Peterson is releasing a 'free speech' alternative to Patreon called Thinkspot |url=https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/jordan-peterson-thinkspot/ |website=The Daily Dot |accessdate=17 April 2020 |date=13 June 2019 |archive-date=17 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417053345/https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/jordan-peterson-thinkspot/ |url-status=live }}][{{cite news |last1=Kassel |first1=Matthew |title=Jordan Peterson's Starting A 'Free Speech Hub' – And Extremists Are Intrigued |url=https://forward.com/news/national/428250/white-supremacist-jordan-peterson-parler-laura-loomer/ |accessdate=17 April 2020 |work=The Forward |date=24 July 2019 |archive-date=25 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725163405/https://forward.com/news/national/428250/white-supremacist-jordan-peterson-parler-laura-loomer/ |url-status=live }}][{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/04/jordan-peterson-anti-censorship-website-thinkspot|title=What is Jordan Peterson's new anti-censorship website like?|work=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)|last=Semley|first=John|date=4 December 2019|accessdate=19 April 2020|archive-date=26 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226004610/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/04/jordan-peterson-anti-censorship-website-thinkspot|url-status=live}}][{{cite news |last1=Goggin |first1=Benjamin |title=Top Patreon creators, of the 'Intellectual Dark Web,' say they're launching an alternate crowdfunding platform not 'susceptible to arbitrary censorship' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/jordan-peterson-says-hell-launch-patreon-alternative-before-christmas-2018-12 |accessdate=2 June 2020 |work=Business Insider |date=17 December 2018 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327101300/https://www.businessinsider.com/jordan-peterson-says-hell-launch-patreon-alternative-before-christmas-2018-12 |url-status=live }}]
| {{yes}}
|-
| WrongThink
| [{{cite news |last=Cuthbertson |first=Anthony |date=2021-01-13 |title=Where do Trump and his fans go after being banned from most of the internet? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/trump-twitter-ban-parler-gab-b1785515.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112123257/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/trump-twitter-ban-parler-gab-b1785515.html |archive-date=2021-01-12 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=2021-01-16 |work=The Independent |language=en}}]
| {{yes}}
|-
| [Voat](/source/Voat)
| [{{cite book|author=Adam G. Klein|title=A Space for Hate: The White Power Movement's Adaptation Into Cyberspace|date=2010|isbn=978-1-936117-07-9|pages=93, 104–105|publisher=Litwin Books }}][{{cite web|author1=Perrine Signoret|date=27 June 2017|title=Infogalactic, Metapedia, Conservapedia: l'extrême droite aussi a ses "Wikipédia"|url=https://lexpansion.lexpress.fr/high-tech/infogalactic-metapedia-conservapedia-l-extreme-droite-aussi-a-ses-wikipedia_1922139.html|access-date=13 November 2019|website=LExpansion.com|language=fr}}][{{cite web|last=Haines|first=Lester|date=2007-07-23|title=Conservapedia too pinko? Try Metapedia – Aryans battle 'Cultural Marxism'|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/23/metapedia/print.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628201919/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/23/metapedia/print.html|archive-date=28 June 2011|access-date=9 March 2011|work=[Theregister.co.uk](/source/Theregister.co.uk)|publisher=Situation Publishing}}][{{cite web|last=Schweyer|first=Cléo|date=2009-07-15 |trans-title=The far right gets a new lease of life on the web |title=L'extrême droite s'offre une seconde jeunesse sur le web|url=http://www.cafebabel.fr/article/30692/extreme-droit-fn-politique-europe-parti.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720205941/http://www.cafebabel.fr/article/30692/extreme-droit-fn-politique-europe-parti.html|archive-date=20 July 2011|access-date=9 March 2011|work=cafebabel.fr|publisher=Babel International|language=fr}}][{{cite report |url=http://www.mik.nrw.de/uploads/media/Verfassungsschutzbericht_2008.pdf |title='Metapedia' als nationales Pendant zu 'Wikipedia' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515045948/http://www.mik.nrw.de/uploads/media/Verfassungsschutzbericht_2008.pdf |archive-date=15 May 2013 |url-status=dead |trans-title='Metapedia' as a nationalist counterpart to 'Wikipedia' |lang=de |work=[Annual Report on the Protection of the Constitution](/source/Annual_Report_on_the_Protection_of_the_Constitution); North Rhine-Westphalia [State Office for the Protection of the Constitution](/source/State_Office_for_the_Protection_of_the_Constitution) |year=2008 |publisher=Ministry of Interior of [North Rhine-Westphalia](/source/North_Rhine-Westphalia) |pages=59f }}][{{Cite magazine|last=Sobel Fitts|first=Alexis|date=2017-06-21|title=Welcome to the Wikipedia of the Alt-Right |language=en-us|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/story/welcome-to-the-wikipedia-of-the-alt-right/|access-date=2021-04-08|issn=1059-1028}}]
| {{yes}}
|-
| [Grokipedia](/source/Grokipedia)
| [{{Cite web |last=Parmar |first=Tekendra |date=2025-11-26 |title=Elon Musk's Anti-Woke Wikipedia Is Calling Hitler "The Führer" |url=https://theintercept.com/2025/11/26/grok-elon-musk-grokipedia-hitler/ |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}}][{{Cite magazine |last=Rogers |first=Reece |title=Elon Musk's Grokipedia Pushes Far-Right Talking Points |url=https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-launches-grokipedia-wikipedia-competitor/ |access-date=2025-12-18 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}][{{Cite news |date=2025-10-24 |title=A Wikipedia cofounder is fueling the right's campaign against it |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/10/24/wikipedia-larry-sanger-elon-musk/ |access-date=2025-12-18 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}][{{Cite news |date=2025-10-28 |title=Elon Musk Challenges Wikipedia With His Own A.I. Encyclopedia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/technology/grokipedia-launch-elon-musk.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251106135300/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/technology/grokipedia-launch-elon-musk.html |archive-date=2025-11-06 |access-date=2025-12-19 |language=en}}][{{Cite web |date=2025-09-30 |title=Elon Musk Plans to Take on Wikipedia With 'Grokipedia' |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/elon-musk-plans-to-take-on-wikipedia-with-grokipedia |access-date=2025-12-19 |website=PCMAG |language=en}}]
| {{yes}}
|-
| [Imageboard](/source/Imageboard)
| [8kun](/source/8kun)
|
[web hosting](/source/web_hosting)
| [Epik](/source/Epik)
| [{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-far-right-has-found-a-web-host-savior/ |title=The Far Right Has Found a Web Host Savior |last=Makuch |first=Ben |date=May 8, 2019 |website=[Vice](/source/Vice_(magazine)) |language=en-US |access-date=May 10, 2019 |archive-date=August 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822004352/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gy4yg9/the-far-right-has-found-a-web-host-savior |url-status=live}}]
| {{yes}}
|-
| [Civic engagement](/source/Civic_engagement) platform
| CloutHub
|