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Gab, the conservative social network that has acted as a haven for people banned from the usual platforms, has been removed from the Google Play Store for violating the company\u2019s hate speech policy, the company announced on Twitter<\/a>. Apple removed it from the App Store in June for similar reasons.<\/p>\n That policy<\/a> is pretty straightforward: \u201cWe don\u2019t allow apps that advocate against groups of people based on their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n It\u2019s not clear what specifically Gab did that warranted its being kicked off the store, but presumably it would have to be at the level of the app itself, not just someone idly venting hatred on the service. After all, there\u2019s plenty of hate speech on Twitter and YouTube<\/a>, but those apps are still available despite a crackdown this week<\/a> following the events in Charlottesville. Perhaps it\u2019s a question of volume. I\u2019ve asked both Google and Gab for more details.<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t mean Google has blocked the app entirely \u2014 it can\u2019t do that. You just can\u2019t download it from the Play Store any more. It should still function fine and users will be able to sideload it if they like, and Gab\u2019s Twitter account indicates they\u2019re working on making that easy.<\/p>\n Gab is aimed at people interested in \u201cWestern values, individual liberty, and the free exchange of ideas\u201d looking to avoid the \u201cspecial interests pushing a very specific agenda\u201d in tech. If that dog whistle isn\u2019t loud enough, the investment page lists readers of Breitbart, Drudge, and Infowars as the target demographic.<\/p>\n