Alt-tech

Alt-tech refers to the ecosystem of technology platforms, services, and tools built as alternatives to mainstream Big Tech — designed to prioritize free speech, user privacy, and resistance to deplatforming over growth metrics and advertiser relationships. Gab, Rumble, DuckDuckGo, ProtonMail, Signal, and Brave are commonly cited examples.

What it means

The term emerged in the mid-2010s as conservative and libertarian users began experiencing systematic removal from mainstream platforms. "Alt-tech" isn't a political category — it describes a product category: platforms that compete on different values than Silicon Valley incumbents. The defining features are typically: no viewpoint-based censorship, minimal or no ad-tracking, and infrastructure choices that reduce dependence on gatekeepers who might cut off access.

A 2022 Pew Research Center study documented the growing use of alt-tech platforms among Americans who felt traditional social networks were biased against their views.

How it works on Gab

Gab is one of the most prominent alt-tech social platforms. It was among the first to explicitly position itself against Twitter on free speech grounds, launching in 2016 — before the wave of high-profile deplatforming that followed in 2018–2021. Gab's independent infrastructure (own servers, payment processing, no reliance on AWS or Google Cloud) was built specifically to avoid the single points of failure that have killed other alt-tech ventures.

Related terms

Alt-tech is the technological infrastructure of the parallel economy. It exists as a response to Big Tech censorship and deplatforming. Digital sovereignty is the underlying value proposition.