A year after Trump purge, ‘alt-tech’ offers far-right refuge

By DAVID KLEPPER and BARBARA ORTUTAY
Associated Press

A decision by Twitter and Facebook to ban former President Donald Trump a year ago has prompted many conservative social media users to join new platforms that claim to offer a refuge from overzealous content moderation. A year later, so-called alt-tech platforms like Gab, Parler and Gettr are growing fast. And while they’ve failed to replicate the success of the major sites, experts in extremism see their growth as a cause for concern and possibly leading to radicalization and even violence. While the promise of loose moderation is a selling point, it has also led to a proliferation of hate speech and harmful misinformation.