According to quite a few reports, Gab- a social media site was actually discussing and lighting up plans about the Capitol violence that took place a few days back. But what seems to be alarming news is that there exists a certain amount of specificity in the details that some users have posted on this site. It also needs to be mentioned that Gab is quite famous amongst Die-hard Trump supporters. Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League stated that the site had issued precise instructions on which roads to avoid, and what equipment to use to pry open the Capitol doors.
Why is Gab Under Surveillance?
It is pretty obvious that most of the planning of the Capitol insurrection took place on social media sites out in the open. Even though the attack took place on the 6th of January- people were already talking about it before. Several critics are of the opinion that the lax nature of social media administration is what allowed these talks to continue. Some believe that they should have been nipped in the bud to avoid the debacle that took place.
With the FBI and the CIA already issuing criminal charges against the perpetrators, there have been some who have been clamoring to hold the social media sites responsible for this mess too. Greenblatt states that it is imperative to find out which social media sites had knowingly allowed discussions on the attack on the capital. He further mentioned that while most of the social media sites would be placed under the radar, Gab would face the highest scrutiny.
For the uninitiated, Gab was founded way back in 2016 as Anti-Twitter. According to sources, this platform encompasses everything far-right and is a known hub of people like Alex Jones and Milo Yiannopoulos. Interestingly, both these people have already been banned by both Twitter and Facebook for putting up inflammatory posts.
