Gab social network loses payment, hosting, and registrar services in 24 hours following Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
On October 27–28, 2018, PayPal, Stripe, GoDaddy, and Joyent simultaneously terminated services for Gab.com, a social network marketed as a free-speech alternative to Twitter, after the perpetrator of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre was found to have posted on the platform shortly before the attack. Gab went offline for approximately nine days. Founder Andrew Torba alleged a coordinated campaign of financial discrimination; the providers cited terms-of-service violations involving content hosted on the platform.
Dates: Pittsburgh synagogue attack October 27, 2018; PayPal, Stripe, Joyent, and GoDaddy terminations October 27–28, 2018; platform restored November 5, 2018. Parties: Gab.com; founder Andrew Torba; PayPal; Stripe; GoDaddy; Joyent. What happened: Within roughly 24 hours of the Pittsburgh attack, multiple providers terminated services. PayPal cited 'incitement to violence' related to user content. Stripe and Joyent cited terms-of-service violations. GoDaddy revoked Gab's domain registration. Gab said it had cooperated with the FBI within hours of the attack and that the shooter's account had been reported but the platform had no advance warning. Gab's allegations: That mainstream payment processors and infrastructure providers were coordinating to destroy the platform because it permitted right-wing and nationalist speech other platforms banned; Torba compared the pattern to Operation Choke Point and said multiple processors had refused service to Gab from 2016 onward as part of a 'banking blacklist.' Providers' stated reasons: User content allowed on the platform that violated terms prohibiting violence and harassment. Outcome: Gab returned online November 5, 2018 using alternative infrastructure and pivoted to cryptocurrency-based donations. No successful litigation against the providers was concluded. The case has been frequently cited in subsequent debanking debates, including the 2025 U.S. Senate Banking Committee hearings.