Microsoft Threatened To Drop Hosting Gab After Anti-Semitic Posts

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Jew-hating politician Patrick Little almost got an alt-right social network booted off its Microsoft-hosted platform, reported Talking Points Memo.
Microsoft said Gab, the network it hosts on its cloud service Azure, had to remove Little’s anti-Semitic messages or face de-platforming.
The posts called for the “ritual death by torture” and “complete eradication” of Jews.
Gab prides itself as being the “politically incorrect” alternative to Twitter and being the “social network where people, free expression, and individual liberty come first.”
Andrew Torba, Gab’s founder, said if Gab is forced off Azure, service “will go down for weeks/months” as the company finds a new provider. In response, Little did remove the posts but described the complaint by Microsoft as a “a violation of our rights as Americans.”
“We believe we have an important responsibility to ensure that our services are not abused by people and groups seeking to incite violence,” responded Microsoft in its statement.
Contact Aisha Tahir at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aishatahir
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