Free Speech Is Under Attack! - An Interview With Utsav Sanduja, COO at Gab.ai

In the last couple years, free speech has came under attack both off and online. There is a major liberal leaning slant with most social media platforms and tech companies which has left some users, (often conservative celebrities) being censored, or removed entirely from major platforms for simply stating their opinions on hot topics. Twitter, who once called itself “the free speech wing of the free speech party” now says that “making Twitter a safer place is our primary focus”. First let me say I am all for the rights of a private business. Twitter and any other platform should have the right to remove any user or content for any reason whatsoever, however the problem lies when Twitter and other platforms are marketed as and used as free speech platforms, but actually push an agenda.

During the 2016 presidential election angry Twitter users continually alleged that Jack Dorsey and Twitter were purposely suppressing, or outright censoring certain trending tweets and hashtags after the DNC email release by Wikileaks. A few weeks ago, we found out this was exactly the case when Twitter general counsel Sean Edgett testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee. "Our systems detected and hid just under half (48%) of the Tweets relating to variants of notable hashtag, #DNCLeak, which concerned the disclosure of leaked emails from the Democratic National Committee.” In everyones rush to point the finger at Russia, barely anyone was pointing the finger at the US based company that was actively censoring very critical information in the time of a national election. And as we all know, Twitter wasn't the only major social media platformdoing this. We need a new model to keep the internet free and the information flowing. We need decentralization. We need GAB.

Gab.ai is "an ad-free social network for creators who believe in free speech, individual liberty, and the free flow of information online. All are welcome". They have raised over 1 million dollars so far in an ongoing SEC compliant ICO. I personally am very excited about what Gab is doing now and what their plans are for the future. I recently got a chance to ask their COO a few questions about Gabs future!

What’s your name and what do you do at Gab?

Utsav Sanduja, Chief Operating Officer and Global Affairs Director for Gab

Why do you think what Gab is doing is so important?

Gab is defending the soul and spirit of America; Gab is championing the beliefs that made America and Western civilization great to begin with – the freedom to speak freely. Our mission is dedicated to the enfranchisement of millions upon millions of internet users globally to hold any views they deem fit, without censorship, without curation, without content manipulation in any way.

Have you had a lot of pushback from people or organizations simply for providing a platform that isn’t censored?

Absolutely; whether it’s the libelous and defamatory hit-pieces on our company by political actors like the New York Times, BBC World News, Mic or the unfair, discriminatory and anti-competitive corporate behaviors of Google and Apple – the largest duopoly of mobile app distribution, Gab has had its fair share of attacks by established institutions.

With that said, our Philadelphia-based company loves being the underdog.

To quote Rocky Balboa, “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!”

We are thriving and succeeding as a corporation. On July 10th of this year, Gab raised over one million dollars in crowd-funded investments in a matter of a month and few days. And as we speak our test the waters campaign for our ICO has raised close to 350,000 dollars from today’s date (21 November 2017). As Twitter continues its Enabling Act against its political opposition, Gab continues to pick up users from all corners of the world. Whether it’s theanonymous government whistle-blower calling out Angela Merkel’s suppression of speech, the politically incorrect cartoonist who offends some, the psychologist that points out the dangers of Marxism in academia, Gab is here for everyone to speak freely.

What’s the next couple years hold for Gab?

Gab has big plans to shake-up US politics in the coming 2018 midterm elections, stay tuned.

For more info on the Gab ICO visit https://www.startengine.com/gab-select