Anti-cancel culture platforms Rumble and Locals combine to take on Big Tech

[Valin]

The Washington Examiner

Nihal Krishan, Technology Reporter

October 26, 2021

Two major alternative social media platforms focused on free speech and data portability, YouTube rival Rumble and content subscription service Locals, will combine forces Tuesday to provide online users a new way to interact and make money without fear of being canceled.

Popular commentators affiliated with Rumble, including Dan Bongino and Glenn Greenwald, will be joining Locals, adding to other prominent content creators already on the platform, such as former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, cartoonist and creator of the Dilbert comic strip Scott Adams, and media personality Dr. Drew.

Locals has over 1 million active users, while Rumble has over 40 million.

The two platforms will keep their own websites but share their online communities and data operations to allow users to enjoy a host of new features while promising few content restrictions and higher margins for content creators than offered by Big Tech platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

“Cancel culture is the obvious reason we’re starting this,” said Bongino, who helped broker the deal between the two platforms. “I thank the cancel culture folks because they're incentivizing this and the next generation of creators to bypass the middleman of Big Tech platforms and streaming services.”

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A New Day Dawning?

[Valin]

BREAKING: Rumble acquires social media site Locals

"We are building the rails to a new tech ecosystem that will responsibly free everyone from the restraints of editorial control," Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski said, according to local news.

Libby Emmons

October 26, 2021

Free-speech friendly video streaming service Rumble has purchased social media platform Locals. The announcement came on Tuesday. Locals, founded by podcaster and author Dave Rubin in 2019, is a subscription based social media company.

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Quote

Glenn Greenwald

 

@ggreenwald

The people who have tried to claim that Rumble is a right-wing site are not just dumb but self-destructive. What distinguishes it from Google's YouTube is not ideology - it has long recruited left-wing voices - but *free speech.* And this move makes it even bigger & more potent:

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@rumblevideo

Rumble acquires Locals to help build a bigger creator economy

9:23 AM · Oct 26, 2021

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"Locals will provide our Rumble users a new way to generate revenue, one that is not influenced by corporate advertisers and special interests. All our creators can now build a direct stream of revenue with their audience through subscriptions, allowing creators to take control of their valuable content."

Rumble is interested in building a free speech-based creator economy that gives users control over their content. Locals gives creators insight into who their audience is, creating a more community-based, interactive platform.

Locals users will be able to link their profiles to their Rumble accounts and integration should be relatively seamless.

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[Valin]

Oct. 26 2021

Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report has a major announcement for anyone looking for Big Tech alternatives. Innovative Big Tech competition has arrived with Rumble’s announcement that it is acquiring Locals Technology, Inc. Buying Locals will help Rumble’s mission of giving their creators even more autonomy over their work and connections with their audience. The era of the Big Tech monopoly may be ending as true alternatives like Locals and Rumble empower their creators to generate revenue without being limited by corporate advertisers and special interests. Most importantly, Locals users own their community data and content. The era of creators being dependent on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are ending, watch to hear what’s coming next!

[Valin]

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