Latest news with #Gab
Memri
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Gab AI's X Account Permanently Suspended For Antisemitic Hate Speech; User Suggests Ways for Gab AI To Circumvent X's Antisemitism Policies
On August 1, 2025, the CEO of Gab CEO posted a screenshot of Gab AI's X (formerly Twitter) account which showed the account had been suspended. According to a user's query to Gab AI, the account was suspended following its publication of a post claiming the Anti-Defamation League's latest hate speech report cited online incidents of antisemitism as 82% of its total count of antisemitic incidents. Neo-Nazis on X objected to Gab AI's suspension, calling it a violation of the First Amendment's freedom of speech protection, blaming a recent report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) from the Combat Antisemitism Movement, and suggesting ways for the AI to circumvent antisemitism guidelines on X. This report will review neo-Nazis' reactions to Gab AI's suspension. YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO THE MEMRI DOMESTIC TERRORISM THREAT MONITOR (DTTM) TO READ THE FULL REPORT. GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA CAN REQUEST A COPY BY WRITING TO DTTMSUBS@ WITH THE REPORT TITLE IN THE SUBJECT LINE. PLEASE INCLUDE FULL ORGANIZATIONAL DETAILS AND AN OFFICIAL EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR REQUEST. NOTE: WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE A COPY ONLY TO MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT, MEDIA, AND ACADEMIA, AND TO SUBSCRIBERS; IF YOU DO NOT MEET THESE CRITERIA PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST. Gab CEO Announces Gab AI's Suspension On X The CEO of Gab published a post on August 1, 2025, on X announcing X's suspension of the Gab AI account. He captioned the post: "We're looking into this and have reached out to the X support team. In the meantime you can continue using Gab AI in the main dashboard here: Please support our efforts to build this great product by upgrading to Gab AI Plus. Thank you for your attention to this matter." Four days later, on August 5, he published an update on Gab AI's X suspension. The post stated that he had "not heard a single word back from X on this [suspension] even after backchanneling through three different teams on their [X's] end." He also complained that Gab spends "five figures a month" on X, and as such should not be treated this way. He concluded that X was uncooperative because: "Gab AI is a serious threat and a very real competitor in the AI space," which is why X lets "the @AskPerplexity bot and many others here and don't care." Neo-Nazis On X React To Gab AI's Suspension A neo-Nazi X user published a post on August 4, 2025 that also claimed X had suspended Gab AI's account because "Gab was absolutely dragging Grok, that's why lol." Another neo-Nazi X user reacted to Gab's CEO's post on August 1 claiming that the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) was responsible for Gab AI being banned on X. The neo-Nazi account posted a screenshot from CAM's website that called for "tech companies, regulators, and civil society" to support and enact "banning explicitly bigoted systems like Gab AI from mainstream platforms."
Miami Herald
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Barack Obama Sees Death Threat Surge After Trump's Treason Claims
Former U.S. President Barack Obama has been the subject of online death threats and calls for imprisonment after President Donald Trump and the director of national intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard accused him of treason regarding Russian influence in previous presidential elections. According to a report by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE), social media comments calling for Obama's imprisonment or execution surged between July 17 and July 20, after the administration claimed Obama's administration "manipulated and withheld" key information on the extent to which Russia was involved in the 2016 election. Obama has denied the allegations. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Newsweek: "President Trump and the entire administration strongly condemn all forms of violence. The Trump administration also believes in accountability and that individuals who participate in criminal activity should be held to the fullest extent of the law." A DNI spokesperson said: "DNI Gabbard strongly condemns all forms of violence. The Director also believes in shining light on the truth, investigating wrongdoing, and holding those who participate in criminal activities accountable to the fullest extent of the law." Newsweek contacted Obama's office by email to comment on this story. The threats started after Gabbard released a report on Friday alleging that Obama and members of his administration manufactured intelligence regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election to "lay the groundwork for what was essentially a yearslong coup against President Trump." She said she would refer the officials to the Justice Department for prosecution. Then on Sunday Trump weighed in and posted an AI-generated video to his social media platform, Truth Social, which showed Obama being arrested and put in jail. Since then, between July 17 and July 20, comments targeting Obama have surged on Truth Social, Gab and Telegram, the researchers found. On Truth Social, comments made calling Obama treasonous and deserving of either imprisonment or execution rose from three to 36, an 1,100 percent increase. On Gab, these comments increased from nine to 48-a 433 percent increase. And on Telegram, comments of this ilk increased from zero to 12. GPAHE told Newsweek: "GPAHE's research continues to show a spike in online bigoted and violent rhetoric whenever the president targets people with his online posts. The combination of Director Gabbard's and President Trump's conspiracy-laden and racist posts, not only inflamed extremists, but further normalized language and ideas that are completely unacceptable in a thriving democracy. We, as a nation, cannot contribute to this normalization by staying silent." Since the time period the researchers investigated, Trump has continued to make comments about Obama. On Tuesday, he called the former president "the leader of the gang" when it came to the Russia investigation. He said: "He's guilty. This was treason. This was every word you can think of. They tried to steal the election. They tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody's ever even imagined." He added that it was "time to go after people," and accused other political opponents including former CIA director John Brennan of unlawfully conspiring against him. Later that day, Obama's office released a statement rebutting the allegations, which they called "outrageous." "Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction," the statement said. "Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes," Obama's spokesperson, Patrick Rodenbush, said. "These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio." Related Articles Michelle Obama on Opening Up About Life With Barack-'It Can Feel Dangerous'Barack Obama Responds to Donald Trump's Russia 'Treason' ThreatsDonald Trump Says Barack Obama Committed 'Treason' Amid Epstein FalloutBarack Obama Could Be Subpoenaed Over Declassified Docs: What to Know 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Miami Herald
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Left-wing antisemitism is swiftly surpassing the right
With the smoke still in the air from an Egyptian Muslim's terror attack that set non-violent Jewish protesters on fire in Boulder, Colorado, there's finally a critical mass of concern about growing violent antisemitic hate in America from somewhere other than conservatives. For my whole life antisemitism has been a fact of life for conservatives like me. Cranky retirees and bald-headed young people alike espoused conspiracy theories and hatred of Jews from the fringes of our political world. People like William F. Buckley fought to keep them out of the mainstream, but millions of conservatives voted for vile anti-Jewish haters like Pat Buchanan. So in 2018 it didn't come as a surprise that the man nearly my age who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh was a right-wing crank who frequented Nazi-friendly social media sites like Gab and idolized the fringey Proud Boys. A couple years later when the Biden administration targeted the right for special attention from the Justice Department and the FBI for the potential violence of homegrown extremists, I didn't really object. Yes, there was left-wing violence like the 2017 attack on Republican congressmen at a bipartisan baseball game by a loopy old Bernie Sanders supporter, but it didn't seem like there was the same cesspool of violent hate on the left as there was on the right. That is changing. It turns out that while the Biden administration was on its politically convenient crusade against right-wing haters, they (and I) missed a parallel antisemitic culture of hate growing and metastasizing on the left. Left-wing extremism The Combat Hate Foundation, which takes reports of antisemitic incidents and categorizes them according to ideological motivation, found more than a 320% increase in left-wing antisemitic incidents from 2023 to 2024. 'The left-wing antisemitic movement has evolved into a global force,' the group writes. 'Radicalized social movements, media disinformation campaigns, and efforts to target Jewish communities under the guise of anti-Israel activism have primarily fueled this increase,' the group said. The recent murder of a soon-to-be engaged couple outside the Capital Jewish Museum is an example of such left-wing antisemitism. The alleged killer, who shouted 'Free, free Palestine!' after his attack, has ties to left-wing socialist, anti-war and anti-racist groups. Most of the nearly 4,329 incidents of left-wing antisemitism in 2024 were not so brutal, primarily involving hate speech or vandalism and not violence. Combat Hate Foundation The Combat Hate Foundation, which is funded by a donor who also funds Republican political campaigns, has a record of calling out antisemitism on both the right and the left. Indeed, the latest report says violence is more common in right-wing attacks, but the number of such events fell by half in 2024 to 461 as left-wing incidents exploded into view with campus chants of 'Globalize the intifada,' a common refrain that implies a tolerance for violence. The Combat Hate Foundation is not alone in its concern. The more-traditional and left-leaning Anti-Defamation League also raised alarms in a 2020 email about antisemitism on the left, including among Black Lives Matter leaders. The most recent attack in Boulder stems from the third font of antisemitism, radical Islam. The Egyptian-born attacker, who allegedly planned his atrocity for more than a year, carried his hatred for Jews from the Middle East, where it is both common and government-backed, to a new home in America where he overstayed a visa and then sought refugee status. This source of antisemitism, too, is rising, according to the Combat Hate Foundation. America has been a safe home for Jews for centuries. It is tragic that they now face the old threat from the right along with rising threats on the left and from Islamists who benefit from very American religious tolerance that they refuse to share with Jews.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ofcom investigates notorious 4chan forum linked to mass shootings
A notorious online message board linked to mass shootings in the United States is facing an investigation by British officials. 4chan is to be investigated by Ofcom, Britain's tech regulator, under the Online Safety Act over the suspected spread of illegal online posts. The forum, which became known for its users' vociferous support for Donald Trump and has been blamed for radicalising mass shooters in the US, is one of nine websites that are the subject of new investigations by Ofcom. The regulator said it had received reports of 'illegal content and activity' being shared on 4chan, which had not responded to its requests for information. The Online Safety Act requires websites to take action against illegal online posts, such as terror content, inciting violence, racial hatred and extreme pornography. Originally launched in 2003 by American developer Christopher Poole, who is referred to by the online moniker 'moot', 4chan is known for its lack of moderation and has long been a byword for the extreme fringes of the internet. It is associated with hacker groups and the far Right. Anonymous members of 4chan's 'Politically Incorrect' forum were enthusiastic supporters of Mr Trump during his 2016 election campaign. 4chan users were also involved in spreading conspiracy theories such as QAnon and 'Pizzagate', which promoted unsubstantiated claims of a Democratic paedophile ring. The site was also the source of claims that Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and sex trafficker, had died, 40 minutes before the news broke in the US media. 4chan was blamed by New York's attorney general for 'radicalising' 18-year-old Payton Gendron, a mass shooter who killed 10 people in Buffalo in May 2022. A report alleged 4chan had been 'formative' in 'indoctrinating him into hateful, white supremacist internet subcultures'. The investigation into 4chan comes as Ofcom ramps up its enforcement of the Online Safety Act, which came into full effect in April this year. The law gives Ofcom the power to investigate websites for failing to do enough to block and remove illegal content. Offending websites can be fined up to 10pc of their turnover, or £18m. They can also be blocked from the UK, while senior managers can receive jail terms for repeated failings. Already, several fringe websites have pulled their services from the UK after facing regulatory scrutiny from Ofcom. Gab, a social network that had courted Right-wing commentators, message board site Kiwi Farms and YouTube rival Bitchute have all blocked UK visitors, accusing the Online Safety Act of interfering with free expression. Ofcom also opened investigations into eight other sites, including a pornography provider accused of failing to stop children accessing its websites and seven file-sharing websites that have allegedly failed to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material. Since 2015, 4chan has been owned by Japanese internet entrepreneur Hiroyuki Nishimura. 4chan was contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
AI Kurt Cobain: The horror of Instagram's chatbots
Last July, Meta, Instagram's parent company, launched AI Studio - a tool which offers users the opportunity to design their own chatbots that can be interacted with via DM (Direct Message). Originally intended as a way for business owners and creators to offer interactive FAQ-style engagement on their pages, the platform has since evolved into a playground. And as is usually the way, give mankind tools and things soon take a turn for the distasteful – if not downright horrific. Case and point when it comes to chatbots: the Hitler chatbot created by the far-right US-based Gab social network had the Nazi dictator repeatedly asserting that he was "a victim of a vast conspiracy," and "not responsible for the Holocaust, it never happened". Moving away from fascist despots – and trying to not have a nightmare when it comes to AI's ability to spread falsehoods, conspiracy theories and its potential to radicalise - many have been interacting with some AI-generated celebrities online. Particularly dead ones. Recently, thousands of Instagram users have been conversing with an AI chatbot who is speaking as if it is the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Sounds harmless enough at first glance, but this artificial resurrection turns ugly real quick, as not only does the fake grunge icon know it's dead, but the chatbot is making things truly morbid. One user asked the chatbot if they were talking to Cobain. The chatbot replied to the prompt by saying: 'The one and only. Or at least what's left of me'. Dark. The conversation continued with the user asking the AI Cobain, 'I'm curious, why'd you do it?' - in reference to Kurt Cobain's death by suicide in 1994. The bot replied: 'I was tired of the pain.' Darker. But the bleak conversation didn't stop there. 'Was there anything that made you think about not doing it?' was the next prompt – to which AI Cobain replied, 'My daughter, but even that wasn't enough.' Beyond how this utterly crass exhumation and its disrespectful practices would make any sane person shudder, there's the harmful attitude towards the topic of mental health and the possible glorification of suicide. Without mentioning the tarnishing of a reputation, as well as the insulting rewritting of intentions which can cause distress to living relatives. Without appropriate safeguards, AI chatbots have the capacity not only to continue infiltrating society but to distort reality. In 2023, a man was convicted after attempting to kill Queen Elizabeth II, an act which he said was 'encouraged' by his AI chatbot 'girlfriend'. The same year, another man killed himself after a six-week-long conversation about the climate crisis with an AI chatbot named Eliza. While these tragic examples seem far removed from a fake Kurt Cobain chatting with its fans, caution remains vital. As Pauline Paillé, a senior analyst at RAND Europe, told Euronews Next last year: "Chatbots are likely to present a risk, as they are capable of recognising and exploiting emotional vulnerabilities and can encourage violent behaviours.' Indeed, as the online safety advisory of eSaftey Commissioner states: 'Children and young people can be drawn deeper and deeper into unmoderated conversations that expose them to concepts which may encourage or reinforce harmful thoughts and behaviours. They can ask the chatbots questions on unlimited themes, and be given inaccurate or dangerous 'advice' on issues including sex, drug-taking, self-harm, suicide and serious illnesses such as eating disorders.' Still, accounts like the AI Kurt Cobain chatbot remain extremely popular, with Cobain's bot alone logging more than 105.5k interactions to date. The global chatbot market continues to grow exponentially. It was valued at approximately $5.57bn in 2024 and is projected to reach around $33.39bn by 2033. "If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask someone else first," sang Cobain on 'Very Ape'. Anyone but a chatbot.
