Gab AI says its payment processor has terminated services. According to Gab, the termination was based on “adverse media reports about Gab AI.”
Gab reported that the move came just as it launched version 3.0 of its AI dashboard, which included upgrades such as persistent memory, file management, new agent capabilities, collection features, and UI customizations.
The company claims the timing of the suspension aligns with a surge in its growth and international adoption.
In a blog post addressing the ban, Gab said, “This afternoon the payment cartel struck again and banned Gab AI from processing payments. The same playbook we’ve seen for nine years repeated itself with clockwork precision: Gab hits escape velocity, and the Regime’s enforcers pull the plug.”
The company tied the payment disruption to its July performance, which it characterized as a period of explosive user engagement and revenue expansion.
Gab positioned the ban as part of a long-running pattern targeting platforms that reject what it calls “approved narratives.”
The post claimed, “We built something different. A platform where artificial intelligence tells the truth instead of the approved narratives. Where users can ask forbidden questions and get honest answers about everything from demographics to historical events.”
The company also cited earlier incidents in which it lost access to digital infrastructure. It referenced the removal of its app from Google Play within 48 hours of hitting #1, as well as being cut off by multiple banks in the wake of a major user influx after Parler’s 2021 deplatforming. “Each time we reach escape velocity, they change the rules mid-flight,” the post said.
Gab stated that the payment ban resulted in an immediate 20% revenue drop and warned that this directly impacts staffing, server capacity, and product development. A US-only backup processor has already been brought online, but international transactions remain affected.
As a workaround, Gab is urging users to adopt Bitcoin, which it calls central to its financial infrastructure. The company said Bitcoin transactions are helping it remain operational. “Bitcoin doesn’t care about your politics. Bitcoin can’t be threatened by payment processors or strong-armed by regulators. It’s free speech money for parallel infrastructure, and it’s literally keeping Gab AI operational as I write this,” the post stated.
International users are being asked to use Bitcoin while Gab works to restore other options.
The company described cryptocurrency as an essential tool in an environment where financial services can be denied over political considerations. “Gab is not the first and will not be the last company or person you support to be financially deplatformed,” the post said.
Gab framed the situation as part of a broader battle over control of emerging AI technologies, presenting its platform as an alternative to what it sees as centralized control. “This isn’t about a payment processor. It’s about whether the future of AI belongs to centralized entities that enforce regime orthodoxy, or to parallel systems that empower human inquiry.”
