Google removes Gab app from Play sStore over hate speech

PanARMENIAN.Net - Gab, the social network that has become popular among members of the alt-right, was removed from the Google Play Store this week for violating Google’s hate speech policy, The Verge says.

The company announced the removal of its app in a tweet on Thursday, August 17, shortly after announcing it had raised $1 million in a crowdfunding campaign. The tweet also included a screenshot of an email from Google, which said that the Gab app was “suspended and removed” from the Google Play Store for violating its hate speech policy.

Gab describes itself as “an ad-free social network for creators who believe in free speech, individual liberty, and the free flow of information online.”

The site, which launched last year, has attracted many far-right users who have been banned on sites like Twitter and Facebook. Although the social network claims to be politically neutral, its green frog logo bears a clear resemblance to Pepe the Frog, a popular mascot of the alt-right; and its CEO, Andrew Torba, is a supporter of President Donald Trump who was removed from a Y Combinator alumni network last year for violating its harassment policy.