In Part One of this series I looked at alternatives to YouTube and provided the following list.

I have also had enough of Twitter who are currently de-platforming and censoring conservatives with gay abandon.

Their censorship affects BFD articles. If we include links to tweets, for example, we often find that a day or a few days later the links to the tweets no longer work, as the tweet has been censored or the Twitter account has been suspended or removed.

Since I needed to research alternatives to Big Tech for the use of The BFD I thought that I might as well share with you all the alternatives to Big Tech that are out there.

Free speech alternatives to Twitter

Mastodon https://joinmastodon.org/

The network consists of different servers located around the world. Each server caters to a particular audience.

Reddit https://www.reddit.com/ The website is synonymous with “fresh” content so will allow you to stay up to date with the latest news and any trending events.

Care2 https://www.care2.com/ For those who want to make the world better. It hosts petitions related to civil rights, animal rights, social equality, the environment and more. 

Ello https://ello.co/ Ello describes itself as a “global community of artists”. It hosts artists, creators and writers.

The Dots https://the-dots.com/ Similar to LinkedIn but can display your own form of art for any potential employee or the general public to see.

Plurk https://www.plurk.com/portal/ Plurk is a mixture of Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter. You earn Karma just like on Reddit and you can see other people’s timelines, or you can keep it private like on Facebook. You can post your thoughts in small bite-sized messages.

Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/ Tumblr allows users to post content in the form of micro-blogs. You can post GIFs, images, and short videos on the site. Tumblr has a “safe mode” so you can block explicit content.

Soup.io https://www.soup.io/ Another microblogging site with a safe mode to block explicit content. It has many different groups that you can join on different topics. Users can post audio, video, pictures, links and more. Users can also like and share different posts.

Gab

Gab states that “any user’s political speech that is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution will be allowed on the site” and as a result, it doesn’t censor legal speech under the guise of hate speech or misinformation.

This commitment to protecting speech that is often censored by other Big Tech platforms has resulted in Gab being heavily deplatformed at the app store, browser level, and payment processor level. Some of the many platforms and services that have banned Gab and its products include the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Google Chrome Web Store, Firefox extensions gallery, the free and open-source Android app repository F-Droid, and payment processor Visa.

[…] Gab has many of the same features as Facebook and Twitter including a timeline that presents posts from the accounts you follow, a trending news section, groups, lists, recommended accounts to follow, and more.

Additional features such as post scheduling, getting verified, removing ads, creating groups, and larger video uploads can also be unlocked by upgrading to Gab Pro.

Gab has also launched several complementary alt-tech products since the release of its social network in 2016 including the Dissenter browser, news aggregator Gab Trends, and end-to-end encrypted chat app Gab Chat.

Additionally, Gab is open source which means that anyone can take the code and host their own Gab Social server with their own rules.

reclaimthenet.org/facebook-twitter-alternatives-free-speech

Check out Gab

Minds

” Minds is the anti-Facebook that pays you for your time”

Wired

Minds is a free speech social network with a blockchain-based rewards system that was founded in February 2011, launched in alpha in 2012, and launched to the public in June 2015.

[…] Minds’ content policy is based on the First Amendment and is governed by a community jury that’s designed to minimize bias and censorship. Its code and algorithms are also free and open-source for maximum transparency and accountability.

Its features include a feed that presents the latest posts from accounts that you follow, trending feeds and hashtags that highlight popular posts on Minds, groups, and more.

Minds also allows users to monetize and boost their content via the Ethereum-based Minds Token. Users can earn tokens for activity on the Minds network or purchase them directly and then use these tokens to promote their content or send tips to other creators.

Minds offers two premium upgrade options – Minds Plus and Minds Pro.

Minds Plus hides ads, allows users to get verified, and unlocks exclusive content.

reclaimthenet.org/facebook-twitter-alternatives-free-speech

Check out Minds

Time to Parler. The BFD.

Parler

Parler was founded in August 2018 […] Parler’s focus is on unbiased algorithms and free expression with its content moderation based on the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Supreme Court decisions.

Its features including trending hashtags, a trending news section, recommended accounts to follow, and more.

The platform is one of the only alt-tech platforms that several members of the Trump campaign team have joined

reclaimthenet.org/facebook-twitter-alternatives-free-speech

Check out Parler ( **currently offline due to being de-platformed by Amazon)

Scar Wars. Photoshopped image credit Boondecker. The BFD

MeWe

MeWe is a social network that focuses heavily on privacy and promises that there are no ads or spyware on the platform. It was founded in 2012 and launched publicly in 2016.

[…] The strong focus on privacy is exemplified by MeWe’s “Privacy Bill of Rights” that promises users of the site full control over their personal information, content, privacy settings, and more.

[…] MeWe has several privacy-enhancing features including Secret Chats with double-ratchet encryption and enhanced permissions that give users granular control over who sees what.

MeWe is also a pioneer in other areas and was the first social network to launch dual-camera support which allows users to simultaneously record using the phone’s inward-facing selfie camera and the outward-facing camera to create a unique double-view video.

[…] MeWe has several paid upgrades including MeWe Pro (its premium enterprise collaboration service), stickers, themes, Secret Chat, voice and video calling, and more.

The platform has become one of the most popular alt-tech social media sites and reportedly has over 7 million users and receives over 6.3 million visits per month, according to SimilarWeb.

reclaimthenet.org/facebook-twitter-alternatives-free-speech/

Check out MeWe

Please feel free to share in the comment section any other Twitter alternatives that you have come across.

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Editor of The BFD: Juana doesn't want readers to agree with her opinions or the opinions of her team of writers. Her goal and theirs is to challenge readers to question the status quo, look between the...