Gab: Everything you need to know about the fast-growing, controversial social network

New York (CNN Business)Gab, an alternative social media network popular with conservatives, the alt-right and some extremists, is surging in popularity after conservative social network Parler was effectively taken off the internet in the wake of the January 6 Capitol siege.

On Thursday, Gab tweeted that it gained 2.3 million new users over the past week. During that time period, people visited Gab 55 million times, viewing 100 million pages on the social network, Gab said.

The platform has been criticized for hosting hate-filled, violent speech, for which it has been -- like Parler -- ostracized from most Big Tech companies that serve as front doors to the internet. Because of that, Gab has had some difficulty keeping its platform working smoothly during the recent influx of traffic.

What is Gab?

Gab, founded in 2016, coins itself as the "free speech social network" with a mission to "defend, protect and preserve free speech online for all people," according to its website description.

The platform looks like a mix of Twitter (TWTR) and Facebook (FB) and users can post what it bills as "gabs" of no more than 300 characters. But, unlike those mainstream social media networks, Gab features virtually no moderation of the content users post.

Gab also has a pro-subscription tier, a merchandise shop and its own web browser extension "Dissenter" that creates it owns commenting system.

"We believe that the future of online publishing is decentralized and open," the platform's site reads. "We believe that users of social networks should be able to control their social media experience on their own terms, rather than the terms set down by Big Tech."

As of April 2020, Gab reported 1,157,000 cumulative registered accounts and 3.7 million monthly visitors globally, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commissions annual report.