{{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, online video, blogging and other platforms and services that provide alternatives to "Big Tech" platforms and services. The "alt-" prefix alludes to the alt-right movement.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
Alt-tech platforms employ looser content moderation and stronger privacy protections than mainstream platforms. They describe themselves as protectors of free speech and individual liberty,<ref name="Malter-CNNMoney" /><ref name=":1">{{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}}</ref><ref name="ADL-2020-11">{{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 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="politico_2018-10-29">{{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 |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}}</ref> though some researchers have also pointed out such platforms' potential use for recruitment and mobilization by extremist groups.<ref name="terrorism">{{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}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
== History == Alt-tech websites were first described in the 2010s. Starting around 2015, some prominent conservatives and their supporters began to use alt-tech platforms because they had been banned from other social media platforms.<ref name="Roose-NYT">{{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 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/technology/alt-right-internet.html |access-date=September 4, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Cogley-Telegraph">{{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 |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}}</ref><ref name="Ellis-Wired">{{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 |url=https://www.wired.com/story/alt-tech-social-media/ |access-date=September 4, 2020 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name="Malter-CNNMoney">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Freelon-Science">{{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 |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])</ref><ref name="Malter-CNNMoney"/> After the Unite the Right rally in August 2017, technology companies such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter were criticized for deplatforming white supremacists.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Cogley-Telegraph" /><ref>{{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 |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}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{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}}</ref> Ethan Zuckerman and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci further referenced the August 2018 deplatforming of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones as a pivotal moment.<ref name="Zuckerman" />
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 before the shooting, indicating an immediate intent to cause harm.<ref>{{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 |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}}</ref><ref name="propublica_2018-11-16">{{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 |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}}</ref> Bowers had a history of making extreme, antisemitic postings on the site.<ref name="cnn_2018-10-302">{{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 |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}}</ref> After the shooting, Gab briefly went offline when it was dropped by its hosting provider and denied service by several payment processors.<ref>{{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 |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}}</ref><ref name="cbs20181103">{{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 |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}}</ref><ref name=":25">{{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 |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}}</ref>
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 user base, was taken offline when Amazon Web Services suspended its hosting several days after the January 6 storming of the United States Capitol.<ref name="Wilson">{{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 |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}}</ref> It was restarted with a new host on February 15, 2021.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
In July 2021, an example of alt-tech hardware was announced: the "Freedom Phone"{{snd}}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).<ref name="arstechnica-2021-07-202">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>
By 2022, ''The New York Times'' and ''The Guardian'' described a crowded marketplace of alt-tech platforms.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="Pilkington">{{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}}</ref> ''The Times'' noted that alt-tech platforms claiming censorship by Twitter – such as Gettr, Parler, and Rumble – have mostly advertised themselves on Twitter.<ref name="nyt"/>
In February 2022, Trump launched a Twitter alternative, Truth Social, after establishing a messaging platform outside of Twitter,<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="Pilkington" /> such as a now discontinued Trump blog.<ref>{{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}}</ref> During development, Truth Social did not at first acknowledge using Mastodon's open source code, and was given an ultimatum by Mastodon,<ref name="Coldewey">{{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}}</ref> quietly admitting to the use of Mastodon code later on.<ref name="Coldewey" /><ref name="Harwell">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> Truth Social's launch was accompanied by substantial technical difficulties.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name="Harwell" /> 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."<ref name="Harwell" /><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>
== Research == 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.<ref name="Freelon-Science" /> Discord and Telegram have been used by QAnon conspiracy theorists to promote terrorism, which contributed to the January 6th attack.<ref name="terrorism"/> Discord later worked to remove right-wing extremists from its user base, and became a more mainstream platform.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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".<ref name="Bellingcat-20212">{{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|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 }}</ref> 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:
{{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 and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci<ref name="Zuckerman">{{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 |publisher=Columbia University |language=en}}</ref>|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.<ref name=":2">{{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, 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 }}</ref>
Austrian researcher Julia Ebner has described alt-tech platforms as "ultra-libertarian".<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
== Platforms == === List of alt-tech platforms === {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Type ! Company ! Citations ! Active |- | rowspan="4" | Microblogging | Gab | <ref name="Freelon-Science" /><ref name="Roose-NYT" /><ref name="Malter-CNNMoney" /><ref name="Smith-Independent">{{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 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{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 |language=en}}</ref> | {{yes}} |- | Gettr | <ref>{{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 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="nyt">{{cite news|work=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 }}</ref><ref name=":5" /> | {{yes}} |- | Parler | <ref name="Freelon-Science" /><ref name="Cogley-Telegraph" /><ref name="Smith-Independent" /><ref name="Cohen-PCMag">{{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 |language=en}}</ref> | {{Yes}} |- | Truth Social | <ref name="nyt"/><ref name=":5" /> | {{yes}} |- | rowspan="8" | Online video platform | BitChute | <ref name="Freelon-Science" /><ref name="Smith-Independent" /><ref name="cbc">{{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}}</ref> | {{yes}} |- | DLive | <ref name="Wilson" /><ref>{{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 |language=en}}</ref> | {{yes}} |- | Odysee | <ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> | {{yes}} |- | PewTube | <ref name="Roose-NYT" /><ref name="Malter-CNNMoney" /> |{{no}} |- | Rumble | <ref name="Wilson" /><ref name="Cohen-PCMag" /> | {{yes}} |- | TokenTube | <ref>{{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 |language=fi}}</ref> | <!--Include an up-to-date source, please--> |- |DTube |<ref>{{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}}</ref> |{{yes}} |- | Triller | <ref name="Cohen-PCMag" /> | {{yes}} |- | rowspan=5 | Crowdfunding | GiveSendGo | <ref>{{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 |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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Alex Jones' lawsuit losses are not enough |date=October 14, 2022 |first=Yunkang |last=Yang |work=NBC News |access-date=11 March 2024 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/alex-jones-getting-sued-lawsuits-are-not-enough-rcna52179 }}</ref> |{{yes}} |- | Hatreon | <ref name="Malter-CNNMoney" /><ref name="Zuckerman" /> | {{no}} |- | SubscribeStar | <ref>{{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|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}}</ref><ref>{{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|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}}</ref> | <!--Include an up-to-date source, please--> |- | WeSearchr | <ref name="Ellis-Wired" /> | {{no}} |- | GoyFundMe | <ref>{{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|date=December 1, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> | |- | rowspan="6" | Social networking service | MeWe | <ref name="Wilson" /><ref name="Cohen-PCMag" /> | {{yes}} |- | Minds | <ref name="Smith-Independent" /><ref name="smh">{{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}}</ref> | {{yes}} |- | Slug | <ref>{{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|volume=15|issue=1|pages=65–80|jstor=26984798|issn=2334-3745}}</ref> | <!--Include an up-to-date source, please--> |- | Telegram | <ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref name="Wilson" /> | {{yes}} |- | Thinkspot | <ref name="DailyDot-release">{{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 }}</ref><ref name="Forward-extremists">{{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 }}</ref><ref name="Guardian 2019Dec4">{{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|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}}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> | {{yes}} |- | WrongThink | <ref name="Roose-NYT" /> | <!--Include an up-to-date source, please--> |- | rowspan=2 | News aggregator | Patriots.win | <ref name="Cuthbertson-Independent">{{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}}</ref> | {{yes}} |- | Voat | <ref name="Ellis-Wired" /><ref name="Cohen-PCMag" /> | {{no}} |- | rowspan="3" | Wiki encyclopedia | Infogalactic | <ref name="Roose-NYT" /><ref name="Ellis-Wired" /> | {{yes}} |- | Metapedia | <ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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|publisher=Situation Publishing}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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; North Rhine-Westphalia State Office for the Protection of the Constitution |year=2008 |publisher=Ministry of Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia |pages=59f }}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> | {{yes}} |- | Grokipedia | <ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> | {{yes}} |- | Imageboard | 8kun | <ref name="Freelon-Science" /><ref name="smh" /> | {{yes}} |- | Online dating service | WASP Love | <ref name="Roose-NYT" /> | <!--Include an up-to-date source, please--> |- | Domain name registrar and<br />web hosting | Epik | <ref name=":1" /><ref>{{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 |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}}</ref> | {{yes}} |- | Civic engagement platform | CloutHub | <ref name="Wilson" /> | <!--Include an up-to-date source, please--> |}
== See also == * Big Tech * Deplatforming * Freedom of speech * Platform economy * Surveillance capitalism * Technology and society
== References == {{reflist}}
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Category:2010s in Internet culture Category:2020s in Internet culture Category:Alt-tech Category:Political extremism Category:Technology in society