Gab, an independent social network popular with conservative activists, has filed a lawsuit in a federal court accusing Google of abusing its power after the search giant removed the upstart from its app store.
Last month, Gab complained that it had been banned from Google’s Play Storefollowing complaints that the service had become a haven for hate speech and Nazis. Gab drew additional attention when the founder of neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer decided to at least temporarily make Gab his new home while he struggled to keep Stormer online after several internet services revoked their support.
The ensuing publicity did accelerate the success of Gab’s crowdfunding campaign. Gab, which says it now has 250,000 users, has said it has also been rejected numerous times from Apple’s App Store.
In the lawsuit, first reported by the Washington Post, Gab claims that Google violated antitrust law by giving its app the boot. Gab’s founders insist that the site is not political in nature, but rather a refuge for free speech across the spectrum.
Full Content: Washington Post
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