Alberich Lichtenberg (@Germanien)

—THE FARCE OF "FREE SPEECH" ON GAB: A BUSINESS BUILT ON VULNERABILITY AND HYPOCRISY— (PART 1) Andrew Torba's rhetoric about defending "free speech" on https://gab.com has completely fallen apart. What was originally presented as a safe haven from Big Tech censorship has turned into an increasingly dangerous trap for its own users. 1. Basic Features Held Hostage Behind A Paywall Under the pretext of "funding #FreedomOfSpeech," Torba is restricting all core features of #Gab — features that virtually all modern social media platforms offer for free to help users create and share content — with one goal: forcing users to pay in order to access them. Nowadays, both free users and PRO members are faced with absurd paywalls for carrying out simple, everyday tasks, such as: 🔸 Attaching more than a limited number of images 🔸 Uploading high-definition videos (limited to a ridiculous 50MB file size) 🔸 Using the rich text editor 🔸 Scheduling posts This is not the first time Torba's greed has clouded his judgment. Just a few months ago, he tried charging users for basic features such as uploading images and using the rich text editor—a decision he was forced to reverse after a major wave of users, including PRO members, left for #X. Apparently, he learned nothing. He is now pushing nearly identical restrictions once again, proving that on Gab, "free speech" comes with a price tag. 2. The End Of Privacy: Removing Account Locks And Exposing Users To Harassment In the name of supposedly "protecting" free speech, Torba has violated a far more fundamental human and constitutional right: the right to privacy. It is no longer enough that he collects and shares information with agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (#FBI) and organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (#ADL). Now, Gab has also removed the option to lock or make accounts private. By forcing every post—people's thoughts, beliefs, experiences, and information—into public view, Gab strips its own community of the most basic tool of digital self-protection. This policy removes the only meaningful barrier against criticism, insults, targeted harassment, obsessive stalking, and sexual harassment from unstable individuals, predators, or simply those unwilling to tolerate ideological disagreement. Personal Testimony: At one point, I had to switch my account to private specifically because I experienced targeted harassment and sexual harassment from several users on Gab. Under this new policy, I—along with thousands of others—am left in a state of complete vulnerability. The simplistic response some people offer is: "Just limit your posts to followers only." The obvious question is: how exactly are users supposed to manually restrict hundreds or even thousands of previous posts? More importantly: how are we supposed to protect ourselves from harassers who are already watching? Those of us who have experienced #bullying and #cyberstalking on Gab know that a private account is not a matter of preference or convenience—it is a basic necessity for psychological and physical safety. #VPN #Privacy #Zionism #Security #Facebook #Censorship #Geolocation #SocialMedia #FreedomOfSpeech