IT.COM

Social Network Gab.com being threatened by GoDaddy: 24 hours to transfer or suspension

Spaceship Spaceship
Watch

domainguy50

Established Member
Impact
185
backstory: Gab is a social network alternative to twitter. their selling point is free speech (all speech is welcome, including what you believe might be hate speech.) which is basically is the first amendment. no unlawful material is allowed, but virtually any speech is. recently they purchased the "gab com" domain for $220k.

this site is very controversial as a result, with mainstream media outlets claiming it is popular with nazi and anti-semite messages. the site has 800,000 users and has experienced modest growth recently so it really isnt all bad hate speech. regardless, those disgusting messages on the site by some users are also lawful no matter how distasteful they are. as a result of these media attacks, (and the recent revelation that the synagogue shooter in pittsburgh yesterday had an active gab profile) gab is being unfairly targeted by smear campaigns online reporting the site as "a hate speech site" via email to gab's service providers.

gabs host (microsoft) revoked its contract with gab a few months ago

gabs payment providers (paypal and stripe) just revoked their services

just a few minutes ago, godaddy has said they will stop working with gab:
(i cant post the image or link idk why)
"BREAKING: Godaddy is threatening to suspend our domain (which is worth six figures) if we do not transfer to a new provider by tomorrow. This is madness."

the complexity of the situation is compounded by the fact that Gab is on a payment plan to fully own the domain since they recently purchased it. the broker/escrow agent control this which makes it even more difficult for the company to transfer to a new registrar by EOD tomorrow.

I understand that Godaddy is a private business and its clauses may allow it to do this, but this seems extreme overreaction. "24 hours to transfer or else" is a very menacing way of doing business.

-if you were in charge of gab what would you do? create your own payment processor, host, and DNS? they got deplatformed quickly... i guess they could try to get an offshore Hosting company or invest in native hosting.

-what is the most "free speech" friendly DNS provider there is?

-is it fair for internet infrastructure companies to de-platform a small upstart social network because of controversial speech? or should companies like DNS and hosting should be regulated and allow any customer as long as it is lawful content being hosted.
 
Last edited:
6
•••
The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
The implications for a domain leasing arrangement are interesting, for all three parties - the one leasing the domain, the middleman, and the original owner.

Because someone can lease a domain or buy it on installments, ruin its reputation, then stop paying and the owner gets the domain back but may find it harder to sell - there is a risk there.

And as the OP pointed out, the domain being in the hands of a third party makes it harder to respond to any issues. And if the domain gets cancelled and drops who is to blame and can anyone get compensated?
 
5
•••
what did I learn so far?

have each of those:
-domain
-hosting
-escrow

separate
- always

get domains you need out of godaddy
as you may not be aware of a problem in relation to their TOS
and lose a domain you need
( I have heard similar stories to often and it has always been GoDaddy terminating a domain)

free speech is not what you may think it is
as freedom ends where the freedom of another person starts
 
7
•••
Rob, i never had any business with Epic, but now i shall look at your site and maybe move all my new regs there.

Yes, I recommend Epik and Rob highly. I had a name taken from me by gd and most (95%) of my domains were there but after I stumbled upon Rob/Epik I began moving, and has successfully moved, hundreds of domains to his site. The fact he is a Christian is a bonus for me.
 
3
•••
I haven’t heard of ‘gab’ or visited the site.

Without reading the rest of the replies, i would do exactly as GoDaddy says and transfer the domain away from them, it’s their site at the end of the day and they don’t want the domain to be linked to them.

You say the domain is worth 6 figures, i disagree. Because the site is “very controversial” (your words) I’m sure the site has had a lot bad press/may also be banned from some search engines, that devalues it. The domain may also never be allowed at certain registrars due to its controversial history (ie. GoDaddy), again that devalues it.

If i was the owner I’d stop what I’m doing with the site and try to clean up its reputation and put something different on there to give it some new history before trying to sell it, but even then it will be difficult.
 
Last edited:
0
•••
Still, GoDaddy is :spam::spam::spam: - no matter the reason.
 
0
•••
Statement from GD: “We have informed Gab.com that they have 24 hours to move the domain to another provider, as they have violated our terms of service. In response to complaints received over the weekend, GoDaddy investigated and discovered numerous instances of content on the site that both promotes and encourages violence against people.”
 
0
•••
Statement from GD: “We have informed Gab.com that they have 24 hours to move the domain to another provider, as they have violated our terms of service. In response to complaints received over the weekend, GoDaddy investigated and discovered numerous instances of content on the site that both promotes and encourages violence against people.”

What does content has to do with domain? Shouldn't the hosting company concern about content?
I swear, Godaddy is ... I bet that they updated the terms just to justify this.
 
0
•••
What does content has to do with domain? Shouldn't the hosting company concern about content?
I swear, Godaddy is ... I bet that they updated the terms just to justify this.
Plus godaddy wouldn't hold twitter to the same standard. Would godaddy terminate twitters domain? No they would work and communicate with them to get the violent content removed. But if its a small startup trying to compete with limited moderator resources? "24 hours or we suspend!"
 
1
•••
Plus godaddy wouldn't hold twitter to the same standard. Would godaddy terminate twitters domain? No they would work and communicate with them to get the violent content removed. But if its a small startup trying to compete with limited moderator resources? "24 hours or we suspend!"

That is really the fundamental issue -- Godaddy is aiding and abetting a squashing of a global contender that could rival much larger entities that are owned by private equity and other institutional capital.

The same pattern that allows Amazon to systematically wipe out boutique retail companies also plays out in all other categories of economic activity, in this case mainstream vs alternative media.

The DigitalTown movement which I started in 2016, and which continues today, is addressing a similar issue but from a different vantage point. My TED Talk addressed it -- you can watch while it is still online here:


Anyone who thinks that systematic censorship cannot come to their country needs to study what is happening in China. Start here:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09...el-citizen-in-a-digital-dictatorship/10200278

The Chinese members of NamePros can no doubt add color. For calibration, I have met rational and professionally successful people who left China because they saw what was unfolding.
 
6
•••
I bet that they updated the terms just to justify this.

Actually it has always been there and they have done this before, just Google Stormfront and Godaddy.
 
1
•••
freedom-of-speech-fd5934.jpg


Its always funny when some people preach Freedom of Speech they believe you can Speak Freely Anywhere...lol

That is not the case.
Lets say you came over to my house and starting talking how much you hated any one race and I was offended, I have the right to tell you to get the hell out of my house. I don't have to hear your racist crap in my house.
Why? Because its my house, not your house and my rules in my house overrule your right to free speech in my house.

The same applies to someones business.
They can set the rules on how to use their business.
If a site like Gab allows you to say whatever you want on their platform then fine.

But then Gab has to endure whatever consequences their business partners and/or sponsors want to impose.
If their partners and/or sponsors want to cut ties with Gab because they deem what is said on Gab is wrong then they have the right to cut ties and walk away or tell Gab if you want to continue working with us you must abide by our rules.

Freedom of Speech isn't the only right we have here in America.
 
8
•••
get domains you need out of godaddy

That is really the fundamental issue -- Godaddy is aiding and abetting a squashing of a global contender that could rival much larger entities that are owned by private equity and other institutional capital.

Very true. Many horror stories about GoDaddy deleting domains based solely on complaints, without any court order. I would never use them for anything important.

GAB should move their domains to a registrar known for respecting due process, like Epik.
 
1
•••
Read Song of Solomon. Some of it would make DH Lawrence blush. :) The God that designed the penis and the vagina, and indeed did so across many species, designed it to be pleasurable. Solomon, arguably the richest man of all time, had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Most Christians I know certainly aren't prudes.

This thread is about freedom of speech. If you want to dispense with Rules for Radicals Alinsky-style ad hominem, be my guest, but I will happily engage this debate as long as you like inviting readers to conclude for themselves whether it is better to have Orwellian Newspeak determine every narrative, or whether humanity is better off to be able to research.

Without a doubt, the search for truth is the single most important thing any human can engage in. Indeed, it is the meaning of life. I filled 2 libraries over a 10 year period in my own personal search and the Internet was certainly a key factor in that process. And I know for certainty what is at the end of the rabbit holes and I am thankful for a free Internet for having made that possible.

Indeed, I see that all the radicals, including supremacists, racists, religious nuts, have adopted the Newspeak to the perfection.

They will ride the free speech and other freedoms of democracy, but should they gain any power themselves, they will shut anyone down, kick out of the country, put in the concentration camps, hang on the first tree etc.

Hitler is a perfect example. Democratically elected, he made sure to get firm grip and destroy all liberties for anyone.

And you with your speech about pleasures created by God, but inserting in your TOS that nudity is against your terms. Why should it be at your discretion? Why should you have the right to shut someone down because he/she posts his/her own nude photos?
 
0
•••
We are not
Indeed, I see that all the radicals, including supremacists, racists, religious nuts, have adopted the Newspeak to the perfection.

They will ride the free speech and other freedoms of democracy, but should they gain any power themselves, they will shut anyone down, kick out of the country, put in the concentration camps, hang on the first tree etc.

Hitler is a perfect example. Democratically elected, he made sure to get firm grip and destroy all liberties for anyone.

And you with your speech about pleasures created by God, but inserting in your TOS that nudity is against your terms. Why should it be at your discretion? Why should you have the right to shut someone down because he/she posts his/her own nude photos?

As stated prior in other threads, we are the registrar to plenty of adult domains. We judge nobody. However, we put limits on what we will feature in our marketplace, for example, no different than I bet you don't let people put graffiti on your garage, driveway and sidewalk of your home assuming you own one.

Earlier today, we completed a 30 BTC ($191K) 2 word .COM domain sale with Epik as escrow agent for a corporate buyer. The seller does not wish it to be announced so it will not be announced. That corporate buyer likely appreciates that we have a curated marketplace.

The main point here is about economic harm. Godaddy is complicit to causing abrupt economic harm, as is PayPal, Medium and others. They wish to starve a company of the means to generate revenue or raise funds to provide a service that promotes freedom of speech. I take issue with that.

There is an orderly way to enforce subjective Terms of Service. This was a heavy-handed action by a registrar, and what appears to be a public kowtow to self-anointed Social Justice Warriors. If Godaddy chooses to part ways with a customer, that is their sovereign choice. However, this was a lynching.
 
4
•••
We are not


As stated prior in other threads, we are the registrar to plenty of adult domains. We judge nobody. However, we put limits on what we will feature in our marketplace, for example, no different than I bet you don't let people put graffiti on your garage, driveway and sidewalk of your home assuming you own one.

Earlier today, we completed a 30 BTC ($191K) 2 word .COM domain sale with Epik as escrow agent for a corporate buyer. The seller does not wish it to be announced so it will not be announced. That corporate buyer likely appreciates that we have a curated marketplace.

The main point here is about economic harm. Godaddy is complicit to causing abrupt economic harm, as is PayPal, Medium and others. They wish to starve a company of the means to generate revenue or raise funds to provide a service that promotes freedom of speech. I take issue with that.

There is an orderly way to enforce subjective Terms of Service. This was a heavy-handed action by a registrar, and what appears to be a public kowtow to self-anointed Social Justice Warriors. If Godaddy chooses to part ways with a customer, that is their sovereign choice. However, this was a lynching.


With the current state of the country, the word lynching would not be the best word to use in my opinion.
 
0
•••
With the current state of the country, the word lynching would not be the best word to use in my opinion.

Through graphic, it is a propos. If one company takes online company offline, it is starved of oxygen. Lynching is asphyxiation. An online media company taken offline is starved of what is the online equivalent of oxygen. Perhaps you prefer poisoning the well as Gab.com has been made toxic to all registrars. Until Godaddy canceled their domain, no major tech bloggers were covering this topic. Now it is on Mashable, Techcrunch, etc. The well is poisoned and regardless of whether Gab.com gets another registrar or host, anyone who touches them are potentially at risk of absorbing fallout. And no I don't think Andrew Breitbart died of natural causes.
 
3
•••
.
The main point here is about economic harm. Godaddy is complicit to causing abrupt economic harm, as is PayPal, Medium and others. They wish to starve a company of the means to generate revenue or raise funds to provide a service that promotes freedom of speech. I take issue with that.

Twitter doesn’t want a competitor either so there are under currents to ruin Gab. Glad they are getting free publicity, perhaps that will help them grow. Techcrunch labeled GAB as far right. Free Speech according to Silicon Valley is Labeled Far Right? Huh?

https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/28/f...dy-tells-it-to-find-another-domain-registrar/
 
3
•••
What it comes down to is whether one believes hate speech is free speech, or a category outside of it. Of course, to even begin that conversation you have to agree on what constitutes as hate speech - is wearing a swastika okay and burning a cross not okay, are they both okay because no one gets physically hurt, or can they both be considered forms of psychological violence?

I think reducing the conversation to a black and white "it's either free speech or Orwellian newspeak" is overly simplifying matters. Another dichotomy that forces people to pick a side without questioning its boundaries. If we're saying the threshold of acceptable free speech is whether it promotes violence, well, violence doesn't have to be physical for it to oppress and make people unsafe.

Besides, if the supreme court decided it's okay for a baker to refuse to make a cake for a gay couple because they're against his "Christian values", there's no reason other businesses should not be able to reject doing business with a platform that allows - encourages - hate speech.
 
0
•••
.


Twitter doesn’t want a competitor either so there are under currents to ruin Gab. Glad they are getting free publicity, perhaps that will help them grow. Techcrunch labeled GAB as far right. Free Speech according to Silicon Valley is Labeled Far Right? Huh?

https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/28/f...dy-tells-it-to-find-another-domain-registrar/

"Founder and CEO Andrew Torba cited "the entirely left-leaning Big Social monopoly"

Who do you think he made it for? He said so in interviews.

"We want everyone to feel safe on Gab, but we're not going to police what is hate speech and what isn't"

Well, that's a problem for a lot of companies.


Alex Jones was rightfully banned for this and other reasons:
"he addressed Russia investigation special counsel Robert Mueller on his show, imitated firing a gun, and said, “You’re going to get it, or I’m going to die trying.”

That's pretty clear. Imitated firing a gun, you're going to get it, knowing he has a lot of nutters listening to his show.

The main point here is about economic harm.

Right. 2 main reasons. TOS violations. And it's not good business to associate with degenerates. You saw what happened with Daily Storme r. Their clients threatened to move if they hosted them.

And btw, there is no shortage of Conservatives on Social Media. Don't violate the TOS/rules of the platform you're on. It's not complicated.

If you feel the need to wake up every morning and be hateful to this or that group, start your own deal. Major companies are going to distance themselves for this type of hate stuff.

You had thing like Hatreon:
"It went live in August 2017, but without fully launching. It has attracted high-profile alt-right and neo-Nazi figures as its users, including Andrew Anglin and Richard B. Spencer.[1][2] It has been described as "the go-to crowdfunding platform for the "alt-right."""
 
Last edited:
2
•••
And yet, you did not answer:

Why is nudity against your TOS?

Doesn't your God create humans nude? Why you play God and decide who is ok nude and who is not OK nude and why some nudes continue on your registrar if it is clearly against your TOS?

Nudity has many forms. Some is artistic but some is not. For example, we reserve the right not to host bestiality content. It is implied.
 
0
•••
Well, that's a problem for a lot of companies.

Yes agreed, since these large corporations are owned and controlled by the same people that agree with limited free speech and we live in this politically correct world. Labels are easy to make, easy headlines to judge others opinions. A police state is where this heading. The thought police are coming, or are here right now. They took action against a small company that they didn’t agree with one users action?

Turn the channel, click off the webpage, ignore the comments, and other ways of tuning out the noise instead of censoring. Would you like those ultra violent Quentin Tarantino movies you like and we discussed before to be censored or shut down? Don’t you see that censoring that sort of media also is the same and is possibly harmful to free speech? I assume you read my post above about the double standard of hosting BLM.
 
1
•••
Yes agreed, since these large corporations are owned and controlled by the same people that agree with limited free speech and we live in this politically correct world. Labels are easy to make, easy headlines to judge others opinions. A police state is where this heading. The thought police are coming, or are here right now. They took action against a small company that they didn’t agree with one users action?

Turn the channel, click off the webpage, ignore the comments, and other ways of tuning out the noise instead of censoring. Would you like those ultra violent Quentin Tarantino movies you like and we discussed before to be censored or shut down? Don’t you see that censoring that sort of media also is the same and is possibly harmful to free speech? I assume you read my post above about the double standard of hosting BLM.

It's not just one user's actions. Actions were being taken against them even before this by some companies. Corps care about the bottom line. Pulp Fiction is still a great movie, even if you don't like it. You keep trying to pretty this up by continually calling it free speech. When it crosses the line into hate speech were violence is threatened and stuff like that. It might get checked.

It's really not the complicated. If you're using somebody else's platform, services etc. they have rules, TOS. They can enforce them as they wish. Again, people can start their own deal. You can still go read Daily Stormer on the internet if you wish. #1 or #2 result for me in Google - https://www.google.com/search?q=daily+stormer&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

It's not hidden, it just moved to places that are ok with that kind of content. Most major companies won't be for obvious reasons.

Nudity has many forms. Some is artistic but some is not. For example, we reserve the right not to host bestiality content. It is implied.

Those are drastic examples. How about a married, loving couple, that likes to make love on cam and post their videos and pics online. Is having sex = hardcore porn? I think that's better than some of the stuff I saw on Gab. At the end of the day, just like GoDaddy and other companies, this is your company. Your TOS. You're going to make that decision on what is acceptable. Some of the stuff you might have issues with, might get some of the replies you posted about, Censorship and letting freedom ring. You might have a problem with hardcore porn, so they won't use your company, they'll use some other company. That stuff is out there so lots of companies are fine with it.
 
Last edited:
1
•••
It's not just one user's actions. Actions were being taken against them even before this by some companies. Corps care about the bottom line. Pulp Fiction is still a great movie, even if you don't like it. You keep trying to pretty this up by continually calling it free speech. When it crosses the line into hate speech were violence is threatened and stuff like that. It might get checked.

It's really not the complicated. If you're using somebody else's platform, services etc. they have rules, TOS. They can enforce them as they wish. Again, people can start their own deal. You can still go read Daily Stormer on the internet if you wish. #1 or #2 result for me in Google - https://www.google.com/search?q=daily+stormer&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

It's not hidden, it just moved to places that are ok with that kind of content. Most major companies won't be for obvious reasons.



Those are drastic examples. How about a married, loving couple, that likes to make love on cam and post their videos and pics online. Is having sex = hardcore porn? I think that's better than some of the stuff I saw on Gab. At the end of the day, just like GoDaddy and other companies, this is your company. Your TOS. You're going to make that decision on what is acceptable. Some of the stuff you might have issues with, might get some of the replies you posted about, Censorship and letting freedom ring. You might have a problem with hardcore porn, so they won't use your company, they'll use some other company. That stuff is out there so lots of companies are fine with it.

More Alinsky playbook claptrap.

For those uninitiated, here is the recap:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules_for_Radicals

  • "Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have."
  • "Never go outside the expertise of your people."
  • "Whenever possible go outside the expertise of the enemy."
  • "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules."
  • "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon."
  • "A good tactic is one your people enjoy."
  • "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag."
  • "Keep the pressure on."
  • "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself."
  • "The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition."
  • "If you push a negative hard and deep enough it will break through into its counterside"
  • "The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative."

  • "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it."

JBL is playing track #4.
 
Last edited:
2
•••
With the current state of the country, the word lynching would not be the best word to use in my opinion.

so far so good for free speech
 
0
•••
@Recons.Com looks like you hate Rob because of his religion..
 
2
•••
Back