- Wimkin said its users increased by about 20% after the Capitol riots before Google removed the app.
- “We do not plan to quit,” said Wimkin founder Jason Sheppard.
- A Google spokesman said it did not allow programs that “depict or facilitate violence for free.”
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The alternative social media network Wimkin enjoyed an increase of about 20% in new users in the twelve days between the siege of the Capitol and Monday, when Google removed it from its app store, the founder said.
Jason Sheppard told Insider it gained about 55,000 new users, breaking the 300,000 user milestone.
After Google and Apple both removed the app, new users would have to download Wimkin directly from the company’s homepage. This will make it harder to add users accustomed to app stores. But the social network is not going to name it.
“We are not going to quit,” Sheppard said.
Wimkin was launched in August 2020 as a social voice network, an alternative to larger sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
Some users banned or suspended by larger social networks have found new audiences on smaller alternative networks. Parler, for example, shot to the top of the app store after the siege of the Capitol.
Apple and Google both removed Parler, which turned dark when it was also removed from web host Amazon Web Services. Parler’s website appeared online again this week.
According to Wimkin, Apple and Google each mentioned a lack of moderation for dangerous content, according to the messages the company shared.
A Google spokesman told Insider: “We do not allow programs that portray violence or other dangerous activities for free.”
Read more: How Silicon Valley banned Donald Trump in 48 hours
Wimkin said Google and Apple sent her nine screenshots (four from Google and five from Apple) as part of a back-and-forth exchange over Wimkin’s moderation.
In the screenshot, which was shared with Insider, on January 6, one user called for a militia to be formed in Washington. One report, accompanied by a photo of President Donald Trump, reads: “It is time for all patriots to prepare for a possible armed conflict with the treacherous individuals who are trying to destroy our country.”
Like Parler, Wimkin sought to increase its moderation after Google and Apple sought changes. The company has expanded its moderation team from four to eight people. That was more than enough ‘for police content’, Sheppard said.
It also said it would increase word-of-mouth filters, add Google Vision, an image recognition system, and do other updates. Still, Sheppard said he was notified Monday night of the decision to remove Google.
“We are being treated completely unfairly and if we are not reinstated if we worked tirelessly to comply and become a better platform, we will seek redress to at least shed some light on this tyrannical monopoly, Sheppard said by email.