Many are up in arms over a social media website's decision to block a controversial term.
After banning white nationalist figure Nick Fuentes from their platform, GETTR has blocked the term "groyper" from its website. According to a report from The Daily Beast, the term is often used by Fuentes supporters and fans. A spokesperson said on Tuesday that the commentator was banned because he "violated GETTR's clearly defined terms of use."
Fuentes himself seemed disappointed at the ban, unsure as to who exactly was responsible for the move. "Apparently, my GETTR ban, some are saying Steve Bannon did it, some are saying someone else did it," said the figure on his nightly talk show on Thursday, "but that is bad news either way."
When Beast reporter Zachary Petrizzo attempted to write the "groyper" term on the website on Thursday night, an error banner appeared. Petrizzo attempted to write the term again on Friday, but another error message popped up. Although it is unclear when exactly "groyper" was banned from the platform, it is estimated that the move was implemented on Thursday night.
"GETTR has banned use of the word 'groyper' lol," wrote Fuentes on the chatting app Telegram. "LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
Other users have begun trying to circumvent the ban in support of Fuentes. Arizona Rep. Wendy Rogers wrote "Grooooyper" on her Gettr profile on Thursday night, with the post still being up as of this writing. It is unknown whether or not the website will attempt to also ban similar variations of the term.
Outside of Fuentes' fanbase, "groyper" is often represented as a fatter and more crudely-drawn Pepe the Frog. Slate reporter Aaron Mak wrote in 2017 that the difference between Pepe and "groyper" could be the result of "an ideological division within the right-wing internet." The "groyper" version of Pepe can often be found among far-right users on websites such as Twitter, 4Chan, and GETTR'S competition Gab.
Fuentes' utilization of the term began in 2019 when he co-created the "Groyper Wars" with American Identity Movement's Patrick Casey. The movement was made to encourage supporters of former President Donald Trump and other right-leaning individuals to adopt white nationalist ideologies.
As for GETTR, it was launched on July 4, 2021 by former Trump aide Jason Miller. Upon its launch, the website was hacked and dumped the information of around 90,000 users onto a hacking forum. Information that was compromised included usernames and email addresses. Not only that, but an August study from the Stanford Internet Observatory saw that GETTR did not have proper vetting protocols to prevent sensitive and illegal content such as child pornography from being uploaded on their platform.
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