<s>
MeWe	B-Application
is	O
a	O
global	O
social	O
media	O
and	O
social	O
networking	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
company	O
based	O
in	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
,	O
California	O
it	O
is	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
Sgrouples	B-Application
,	O
Inc.	O
,	O
doing	O
business	O
as	O
MeWe	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
site	O
has	O
been	O
described	O
as	O
a	O
Facebook	B-Application
alternative	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
focus	O
on	O
data	O
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
MeWe	B-Application
announced	O
it	O
will	O
migrate	O
its	O
platform	O
over	O
time	O
to	O
a	O
Web3	O
,	O
blockchain-based	O
web	O
infrastructure	O
,	O
becoming	O
the	O
first	O
major	O
social	O
network	O
to	O
migrate	O
its	O
tech	O
over	O
to	O
the	O
Decentralized	O
Social	O
Networking	O
Protocol	O
(	O
DSNP	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
will	O
make	O
it	O
the	O
largest	O
decentralized	O
social	O
media	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2020	O
,	O
MeWe	B-Application
launched	O
dual-camera	O
videos	O
,	O
which	O
allow	O
for	O
both	O
inward	O
(	O
"	O
selfie	O
"	O
)	O
and	O
outward-facing	O
camera	O
views	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
also	O
touts	O
its	O
"	O
Privacy	O
Bill	O
of	O
Rights	O
"	O
as	O
the	O
primary	O
differentiator	O
between	O
it	O
and	O
Facebook	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
By	O
2015	O
,	O
as	O
MeWe	B-Application
neared	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
its	O
beta	O
testing	O
cycle	O
,	O
the	O
press	O
called	O
MeWe	B-Application
's	O
software	O
"	O
not	O
dissimilar	O
to	O
Facebook	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
Mashable	O
described	O
MeWe	B-Application
as	O
replicating	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MeWe	B-Application
site	O
and	O
application	O
has	O
features	O
common	O
to	O
most	O
social	O
media	O
and	O
social	O
networking	O
sites	O
:	O
users	O
can	O
post	O
text	O
and	O
images	O
to	O
a	O
feed	O
,	O
react	O
to	O
others	O
 '	O
posts	O
using	O
emoji	B-Application
,	O
post	O
animated	O
GIFs	O
,	O
create	O
specialized	O
groups	O
,	O
post	O
disappearing	O
content	O
,	O
and	O
chat	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
may	O
occur	O
between	O
two	O
or	O
more	O
people	O
or	O
among	O
members	O
of	O
a	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Person-to-person	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
is	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
in	O
most	O
other	O
social	O
media	O
and	O
social	O
networking	O
sites	O
,	O
and	O
supports	O
text	O
,	O
video	O
calling	O
,	O
and	O
voice	O
calling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
longer	O
a	O
product	O
offering	O
,	O
"	O
Secret	O
Chat	B-Protocol
"	O
is	O
limited	O
to	O
the	O
paid	O
subscription	O
tier	O
of	O
MeWe	B-Application
,	O
and	O
uses	O
double	B-Algorithm
ratchet	I-Algorithm
encryption	I-Algorithm
to	O
ensure	O
that	O
chats	B-Protocol
are	O
private	O
and	O
not	O
visible	O
even	O
to	O
MeWe	B-Application
employees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
reported	O
in	O
June	O
2018	O
that	O
the	O
site	O
had	O
90,000	O
active	O
groups	O
,	O
60,000	O
of	O
which	O
were	O
"	O
public	O
"	O
and	O
open	O
to	O
all	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
influx	O
of	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
users	O
in	O
2020	O
,	O
MeWe	B-Application
's	O
former	O
CEO	O
,	O
Mark	O
Weinstein	O
,	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
website	O
would	O
provide	O
a	O
Traditional	O
Chinese	O
language	O
version	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
MeWe	B-Application
has	O
not	O
intentionally	O
positioned	O
itself	O
as	O
a	O
social	O
network	O
for	O
conservatives	O
,	O
Mashable	O
noted	O
in	O
November	O
2020	O
that	O
its	O
active	O
userbase	O
trends	O
conservative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
is	O
considered	O
an	O
alt-tech	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
's	O
loose	O
moderation	O
has	O
made	O
it	O
popular	O
among	O
conspiracy	O
theorists	O
,	O
including	O
proponents	O
of	O
the	O
far-right	O
QAnon	O
conspiracy	O
theory	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
banned	O
from	O
Facebook	B-Application
in	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
Stop	O
the	O
Steal	O
"	O
conspiracy	O
theory	O
relating	O
to	O
the	O
2020	O
United	O
States	O
presidential	O
election	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Rolling	O
Stone	O
,	O
MeWe	B-Application
has	O
"	O
played	O
host	O
to	O
general	O
interest	O
communities	O
related	O
to	O
music	O
and	O
travel	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
has	O
also	O
come	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
haven	O
for	O
anti-vaxxers	O
,	O
QAnon	O
conspiracy	O
theorists	O
,	O
and	O
,	O
as	O
reported	O
by	O
OneZero	B-Protocol
,	O
far-right	O
militia	O
groups.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Vice	O
has	O
described	O
MeWe	B-Application
as	O
a	O
"	O
major	O
anti-vaxx	O
forum	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BBC	O
News	O
has	O
described	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
content	O
on	O
MeWe	B-Application
as	O
"	O
extreme	O
"	O
and	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
Gab	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Business	O
Insider	O
has	O
reported	O
that	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
groups	O
on	O
MeWe	B-Application
focus	O
on	O
"	O
extreme	O
views	O
,	O
like	O
anti-vaccine	O
rhetoric	O
,	O
white	O
supremacy	O
,	O
and	O
conspiracy	O
theories	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
in	O
2020	O
the	O
platform	O
was	O
used	O
to	O
organize	O
anti-lockdown	O
protests	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Megan	O
Squire	O
,	O
groups	O
belonging	O
to	O
the	O
Boogaloo	O
movement	O
began	O
using	O
the	O
platform	O
after	O
their	O
removal	O
from	O
Facebook	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
the	O
2020	O
United	O
States	O
presidential	O
election	O
,	O
MeWe	B-Application
and	O
other	O
alt-tech	O
platforms	O
experienced	O
a	O
wave	O
of	O
signups	O
from	O
Trump	O
supporters	O
,	O
following	O
crackdowns	O
on	O
election-related	O
misinformation	O
and	O
promotion	O
of	O
violence	O
on	O
mainstream	O
social	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
11	O
,	O
MeWe	B-Application
was	O
the	O
second-most	O
downloaded	O
free	O
app	O
on	O
the	O
Apple	O
App	O
Store	O
,	O
behind	O
its	O
fellow	O
alt-tech	O
social	O
network	O
Parler	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Mashable	O
noted	O
MeWe	B-Application
's	O
practice	O
of	O
creating	O
accounts	O
on	O
behalf	O
of	O
users	O
and	O
businesses	O
who	O
were	O
not	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
site	O
may	O
have	O
served	O
to	O
inflate	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
activity	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
and	O
other	O
alt-tech	O
networks	O
again	O
spiked	O
in	O
popularity	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
January	O
6	O
,	O
2021	O
storming	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Capitol	O
,	O
though	O
this	O
subsided	O
shortly	O
after	O
,	O
with	O
downloads	O
falling	O
more	O
than	O
80%	O
from	O
January	O
to	O
February	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
22	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
MeWe	B-Application
's	O
CEO	O
said	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
NPR	O
that	O
"	O
MeWe	B-Application
is	O
serious	O
about	O
putting	O
limits	O
on	O
what	O
people	O
can	O
say	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
he	O
does	O
not	O
like	O
sites	O
where	O
"	O
anything	O
goes	O
"	O
,	O
describing	O
such	O
sites	O
as	O
"	O
disgusting	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
said	O
that	O
MeWe	B-Application
would	O
be	O
hiring	O
more	O
moderation	O
staff	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
coverage	O
,	O
NPR	O
noted	O
that	O
MeWe	B-Application
's	O
stated	O
rules	O
are	O
still	O
"	O
more	O
lax	O
than	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
MeWe	B-Application
had	O
not	O
yet	O
banned	O
groups	O
dedicated	O
to	O
QAnon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
concerns	O
surrounding	O
possible	O
pro-China	O
censorship	O
of	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
the	O
site	O
also	O
gained	O
popularity	O
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
in	O
November	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
gained	O
popularity	O
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
in	O
November	O
2020	O
,	O
with	O
users	O
migrating	O
from	O
Facebook	B-Application
due	O
to	O
concerns	O
with	O
possible	O
pro-China	O
censorship	O
and	O
moderation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popularity	O
of	O
MeWe	B-Application
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
has	O
been	O
attributed	O
to	O
the	O
city	O
's	O
suspicion	O
of	O
any	O
restraint	O
on	O
free	O
speech	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
imposed	O
significant	O
restrictions	O
on	O
the	O
expression	O
of	O
dissent	O
following	O
the	O
2019	O
–	O
20	O
protests	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
national	O
security	O
law	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
communities	O
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
generally	O
reflect	O
everyday-life	O
interests	O
,	O
with	O
social	O
media	O
consultants	O
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
reporting	O
that	O
they	O
have	O
not	O
seen	O
extremist	O
content	O
in	O
the	O
communities	O
they	O
manage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
2015	O
review	O
of	O
the	O
beta	O
MeWe	B-Application
service	O
,	O
British	O
writer	O
John	O
Leonard	O
called	O
MeWe	B-Application
"	O
well-designed	O
and	O
pretty	O
intuitive	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
questioned	O
whether	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
business	O
model	O
was	O
a	O
viable	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
,	O
he	O
felt	O
,	O
would	O
make	O
it	O
difficult	O
for	O
MeWe	B-Application
to	O
attract	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
site	O
also	O
gained	O
popularity	O
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
due	O
to	O
concerns	O
surrounding	O
possible	O
pro-China	O
censorship	O
of	O
Facebook	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
takes	O
a	O
relatively	O
light	O
approach	O
to	O
content	O
moderation	O
according	O
to	O
some	O
sources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
MeWe	B-Application
announced	O
it	O
will	O
migrate	O
its	O
platform	O
over	O
time	O
to	O
a	O
Web3	O
,	O
blockchain-based	O
web	O
infrastructure	O
using	O
Project	O
Liberty	O
's	O
DSNP	O
and	O
Frequency	O
protocol	O
,	O
which	O
will	O
run	O
on	O
the	O
Polkadot	O
Blockchain	O
Network	O
,	O
and	O
make	O
MeWe	B-Application
the	O
largest	O
decentralized	O
social	O
media	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MeWe	B-Application
business	O
model	O
does	O
not	O
rely	O
on	O
advertising	O
revenue	O
;	O
rather	O
,	O
MeWe	B-Application
generates	O
revenue	O
from	O
MeWe	B-Application
Premium	O
subscriptions	O
and	O
from	O
users	O
purchasing	O
premium	O
enhancements	O
a-la-carte	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
live	O
voice	O
/	O
live	O
video	O
calling	O
,	O
extra	O
storage	O
,	O
custom	O
emojis	B-Application
,	O
and	O
custom	O
themes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
emphasizes	O
its	O
commitment	O
to	O
privacy	O
and	O
remaining	O
ad-free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
has	O
said	O
they	O
will	O
never	O
use	O
cookies	B-Application
or	O
spyware	O
to	O
generate	O
content	O
about	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
will	O
not	O
track	O
user	O
activity	O
in	O
any	O
way	O
or	O
sell	O
user	O
data	O
to	O
a	O
third	O
party	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
has	O
described	O
itself	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
anti-Facebook	O
"	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
focus	O
on	O
data	O
privacy	O
,	O
lack	O
of	O
moderation	O
,	O
and	O
simple	O
newsfeed	O
algorithm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
had	O
20	O
million	O
registered	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Advisors	O
to	O
MeWe	B-Application
include	O
computer	O
scientist	O
Tim	O
Berners-Lee	O
,	O
Apple	O
co-founder	O
Steve	O
Wozniak	O
,	O
SumZero	O
CEO	O
and	O
co-founder	O
of	O
HarvardConnection	O
Divya	O
Narendra	O
,	O
and	O
filmmaker	O
Cullen	O
Hoback	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gathering	O
largely	O
the	O
same	O
leadership	O
team	O
,	O
Weinstein	O
incorporated	O
Sgrouples	B-Application
Inc	O
.	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
was	O
incorporated	O
as	O
a	O
subsidiary	O
of	O
Sgrouples	B-Application
,	O
and	O
based	O
in	O
Culver	O
City	O
,	O
California	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
the	O
next	O
six	O
years	O
,	O
Sgrouples	B-Application
raised	O
about	O
$10	O
million	O
from	O
investors	O
including	O
lynda.com	O
founder	O
Lynda	O
Weinman	O
,	O
fashion	O
designer	O
Rachel	O
Roy	O
,	O
and	O
authors	O
Jack	O
Canfield	O
and	O
Marci	O
Shimoff	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MeWe	B-Application
finished	O
its	O
initial	O
financing	O
round	O
in	O
July	O
2018	O
by	O
raising	O
$5.2	O
million	O
in	O
new	O
funds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
began	O
work	O
on	O
upgrading	O
MeWe	B-Application
and	O
initiating	O
work	O
on	O
an	O
enterprise	B-Application
version	I-Application
called	O
MeWePRO	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
MeWe	B-Application
launched	O
"	O
MeWe	B-Application
Premium	O
"	O
,	O
an	O
optional	O
$4.99	O
per	O
month	O
subscription	O
that	O
gives	O
users	O
a	O
bundle	O
of	O
enhancements	O
including	O
:	O
live	O
voice	O
/	O
live	O
video	O
calling	O
;	O
unlimited	O
custom	O
themes	O
;	O
unlimited	O
custom	O
emojis	B-Application
and	O
stickers	O
;	O
video	O
journals	O
for	O
stories	O
;	O
100GB	O
of	O
MeWe	B-Application
Cloud	O
Storage	O
;	O
and	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2022	O
,	O
CEO	O
&	O
Chairman	O
Jeffrey	O
Scott	O
Edell	O
of	O
MeWe	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
raised	O
$27	O
million	O
in	O
a	O
Series	O
A	O
round	O
led	O
by	O
private	O
company	O
McCourt	O
Global	O
,	O
which	O
contributed	O
$15	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Existing	O
investors	O
contributed	O
another	O
$12	O
million	O
—	O
this	O
round	O
values	O
MeWe	B-Application
at	O
approximately	O
$200	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mark	O
Weinstein	O
was	O
a	O
founder	O
of	O
MeWe	B-Application
and	O
its	O
CEO	O
until	O
April	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
