<s>
Wimkin	B-Application
is	O
an	O
alt-tech	O
social	O
network	O
that	O
claims	O
to	O
promote	O
free	O
speech	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wimkin	B-Application
was	O
launched	O
in	O
August	O
2020	O
and	O
was	O
founded	O
by	O
Jason	O
Sheppard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
December	O
of	O
2022	O
,	O
Wimkin	B-Application
had	O
8,493,000	O
users	O
with	O
nearly	O
600,000	O
active	O
daily	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wimkin	B-Application
offers	O
free	O
live	O
streaming	O
,	O
10GB	O
video	O
uploads	O
,	O
Reels	O
,	O
Groups	O
,	O
Pages	O
,	O
Marketplace	O
,	O
free	O
voice	O
and	O
video	O
chat	O
messenger	O
and	O
is	O
very	O
similar	O
in	O
design	O
to	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
Youtube	O
,	O
TikTok	O
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
combined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wimkin	B-Application
launched	O
in	O
August	O
2020	O
after	O
being	O
founded	O
by	O
Jason	O
Sheppard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
12	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Apple	O
removed	O
Wimkin	B-Application
from	O
the	O
Apple	B-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
for	O
hosting	O
violent	O
content	O
,	O
including	O
calls	O
for	O
a	O
civil	B-Application
war	I-Application
and	O
the	O
arrest	O
of	O
then-Vice	O
President	O
Mike	O
Pence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sheppard	O
stated	O
that	O
Wimkin	B-Application
had	O
removed	O
the	O
violent	O
content	O
after	O
Apple	O
reported	O
it	O
to	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Apple	O
claimed	O
that	O
they	O
"	O
continued	O
to	O
find	O
direct	O
threats	O
of	O
violence	O
and	O
calls	O
to	O
incite	O
lawless	O
action	O
"	O
on	O
Wimkin	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Wimkin	B-Application
was	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
Wimkin	B-Application
's	O
website	O
was	O
hit	O
with	O
a	O
DDoS	O
attack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
subsequently	O
removed	O
Wimkin	B-Application
from	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Play	O
Store	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
spokesperson	O
saying	O
of	O
the	O
ban	O
that	O
,	O
"	O
We	O
do	O
n't	O
allow	O
apps	O
that	O
depict	O
or	O
facilitate	O
gratuitous	O
violence	O
or	O
other	O
dangerous	O
activities.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
,	O
Sheppard	O
accused	O
Google	B-Application
of	O
treating	O
Wimkin	B-Application
unfairly	O
,	O
stating	O
in	O
an	O
email	O
that	O
,	O
"	O
We	O
're	O
being	O
treated	O
entirely	O
unfairly	O
and	O
if	O
we	O
are	O
n't	O
reinstated	O
when	O
we	O
've	O
worked	O
tirelessly	O
to	O
comply	O
and	O
become	O
a	O
better	O
platform	O
,	O
we	O
will	O
be	O
seeking	O
legal	O
remedy	O
to	O
at	O
the	O
very	O
least	O
,	O
shed	O
some	O
light	O
into	O
this	O
tyrannical	O
monopoly.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
message	O
on	O
Wimkin	B-Application
's	O
website	O
following	O
the	O
removals	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
We	O
are	O
working	O
on	O
getting	O
back	O
in	O
both	O
Apple	O
Store	O
and	O
Google	O
Play.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Wimkin	B-Application
has	O
since	O
returned	O
to	O
both	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
and	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Parler	B-Application
,	O
another	O
social	O
network	O
,	O
was	O
pulled	O
offline	O
by	O
its	O
host	O
Amazon	B-Application
Web	I-Application
Services	I-Application
on	O
January	O
11	O
,	O
former	O
users	O
of	O
that	O
site	O
started	O
migrating	O
to	O
Wimkin	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
twelve	O
days	O
following	O
the	O
storming	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Capitol	O
,	O
Wimkin	B-Application
claimed	O
that	O
its	O
userbase	O
had	O
grown	O
by	O
20	O
percent	O
,	O
amounting	O
to	O
around	O
55,000	O
new	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
of	O
2021	O
,	O
Wimkin	B-Application
was	O
asked	O
to	O
preserve	O
and	O
produce	O
records	O
for	O
the	O
House	O
Select	O
Committee	O
Investigating	O
January	O
6th	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
also	O
widely	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
insurrection.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Wimkin	B-Application
did	O
not	O
comply	O
with	O
their	O
demands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Wimkin	B-Application
has	O
groups	O
relating	O
to	O
mundane	O
topics	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
pets	O
and	O
traveling	O
,	O
Wimkin	B-Application
also	O
has	O
groups	O
relating	O
to	O
fringe	O
content	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
far-right	O
conspiracy	O
theory	O
QAnon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
also	O
posts	O
and	O
a	O
group	O
on	O
Wimkin	B-Application
attempting	O
to	O
organize	O
a	O
"	O
Million	O
Militia	O
March	O
"	O
for	O
January	O
20	O
,	O
2021	O
on	O
Inauguration	O
Day	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
posts	O
and	O
group	O
were	O
removed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
David	O
Eberti	O
of	O
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
found	O
posts	O
on	O
Wimkin	B-Application
comparing	O
Democrats	O
with	O
Nazis	O
and	O
a	O
meme	O
saying	O
"	O
If	O
you	O
do	O
n't	O
believe	O
in	O
violence	O
,	O
get	O
ready	O
to	O
hide	O
behind	O
someone	O
who	O
does.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Wimkin	B-Application
prohibits	O
pornography	O
,	O
nudity	O
,	O
harassment	O
,	O
and	O
inciting	O
violence	O
or	O
any	O
posts	O
or	O
comments	O
with	O
a	O
criminal	O
element	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
Chris	O
Tye	O
from	O
WBBM-TV	O
described	O
Wimkin	B-Application
as	O
a	O
platform	O
"	O
used	O
by	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
so-called	O
Trump	O
celebrity	O
class.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
January	O
,	O
Anthony	O
Cuthbertson	O
of	O
The	O
Independent	O
called	O
Wimkin	B-Application
"	O
yet	O
another	O
social	O
media	O
app	O
popular	O
with	O
far	O
right	O
users	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
SFGate	O
,	O
Wimkin	B-Application
functions	O
like	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
Twitter	B-Application
and	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
with	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
site	O
being	O
allowed	O
to	O
post	O
to	O
a	O
wider	O
audience	O
,	O
comment	O
and	O
like	O
other	O
posts	O
,	O
and	O
join	O
groups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wimkin	B-Application
also	O
offers	O
Reels	O
similar	O
to	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
TikTok	O
.	O
</s>
