Free Speech Social Network Gab Starts Accepting BTC

Gab, a social network dedicated to preserving freedom of speech, has announced that its store now accepts BTC directly after banks and payment processors denied the platform service. “Literally no one can no-platform our new crypto shop,” Gab announced. The platform integrated Btcpay Server after it was refused service by Coinbase and Bitpay.

Gab Begins Accepting BTC

Launched as a free-speech alternative to Twitter in August 2016, this fast-growing website is currently used by several alt-right and libertarian personalities who have been censored from using popular social networks. Among Gab’s users are Alex Jones, Ann Coulter, Stefan Molyneux, and Milo Yiannopoulos.

Gab offers free accounts as well as four levels of pro membership, which are three months for $15, six months for $30, one year for $60, and five years for $200. Gab’s store also sells $25 “Make Speech Free Again” ballcaps. Btcpay is now the store’s only checkout option.

The platform tweeted on Thursday, “Literally no one can no-platform our new crypto shop. No one. Not banks. Not the media. Not activists. Not online mobs.”

About Btcpay

Merchants can use the app to accept direct, peer-to-peer cryptocurrency payments without requiring know-your-customer (KYC) information, the software’s Github page details, adding:

Recovering From Censorship

Bowers was identified as a neo-Nazi who made anti-semitic threats on Gab, posting that he was “going in” just before the shooting. Paypal, Stripe, Godaddy, and Medium all terminated their relationships with Gab soon afterward, along with Gab’s web hosting provider. The platform was subsequently down for eight days as the company searched for a new web host. For about a month afterward, Gab’s only income was from customers mailing checks to the company’s headquarters.

On Nov. 20, the company tweeted, “Gab has been denied by multiple banks during the underwriting process for a new payment processor. Multiple processors supported us, their banks did not.” The platform added, “Gab is the supreme example of why bitcoin exists. We will be integrating @Bitpay asap because @Coinbase already banned us.” However, after Bitpay also rejected the platform, Gab took the suggestion of several Twitter users to integrate Btcpay Server. In another tweet, Gab wrote: