If you’ve been on on the internet lately, it’s possible you’ve heard the likes of Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson wittering on about their new favourite app: Rumble.
Rumble, if you’re unfamiliar, is a video-sharing platform which has attracted a fair number of high-profile names, including Donald Trump and Russell Brand. But why are so many conspiracy theorists and right-wing names drawn to the app? How does it work? Who funds it? And what kind of content is available on the platform? Here’s everything you need to know.
Rumble is a video-sharing platform that’s particularly popular with right-wing creators. The platform was founded in 2013 by Canadian entrepreneur Chris Pavlovski as an alternative to YouTube for smaller, independent creators.
While in its early years Rumble’s popularity was limited, the platform’s popularity exploded at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and saw another surge in viewership immediately after Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Monthly visitors rocketed from 1.6 million in 2020 to 31.9 million by 2021, and at present, the site averages around 50 million monthly active users.
The site was not established as a news publisher, but in spite of this, some users treat the platform as a news source. According to Pew Research, two per cent of American adults get their news from Rumble. Of these users who regularly get news from Rumble, 76 per cent identify as Republicans or have Republican sympathies.
Pavlovksi has described Rumble as “neutral”, but it’s clear the platform attracts a certain type of user. Pavlovski has also claimed the site is “immune to cancel culture”, and many controversial public figures are active on the platform.
Rumble is backed by some big names, including billionaire and conservative venture capitalist Peter Thiel and Trump’s new running mate JD Vance, who both invested in the company in 2021. At present, the platform is valued at more than $2 billion (£1.6 billion) – a decent leap up from its 2021 valuation of $500 million (£394 million).
Rumble is free to use, but in 2021 it acquired ‘Locals’, a platform that allows users on Rumble to buy subscriptions to access exclusive content.
The recent attempts at narrative control have once again convinced me that Rumble and X are literally saving the world.
If they weren’t here – we’d all be slaves by now.
Trapped in perma lies.
Freedom fighters disappearing in the night.
The average man would be left with…
— Andrew Tate (@Cobratate) August 7, 2024
The app is largely used by right-wing public figures and commentators.
Donald Trump has over 2 million followers on the app, which is the parent company behind his own social media platform Truth Social. Right-wing political commentator Ben Shapiro has over 1 million Rumble followers.
Self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate has over 2 million Rumble followers and has recently claimed that the app was one of the last bastions of free speech on the internet. “The recent attempts at narrative control have once again convinced me that Rumble and X are literally saving the world, Tate posted on X yesterday. “If they weren’t here – we’d all be slaves by now.” Tate’s brother Tristan has also praised Rumble, describing Pavlovski as “a man of integrity and honour”.
In addition, Alex Jones, who was ordered to pay £1.2 billion in damages to families of the Sandy Hook school shooting after falsely claiming the attack was a hoax last year, has over 344,000 followers on the app, while alleged rapist and abuser Russell Brand has nearly 2 million. Brand’s YouTube channel was demonetised after sexual assault allegations came to light – allegations which he denies – the disgraced comedian is still able to profit from Rumble.
According to Pew Research, a quarter of the 200 most popular creators on Rumble have been banned or demonetised on other social media sites.
.@chrispavlovski on the power of Rumble:
“When you watch people like Russell on Rumble, you’re getting to hear what he actually thinks and not someone else that’s telling him what to think.” pic.twitter.com/a0yktEtnlR
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) July 27, 2024
Rumble prides itself on opposing censorship. “Rumble is designed to be the rails and independent infrastructure that is immune to cancel culture,” Pavlovski said in 2021. “We are a movement that does not stifle, censor, or punish creativity and believe everyone benefits from access to a neutral network with diverse ideas and opinions. We are on a mission to restore the internet to its roots by making it free and open once again.”
In addition, in December 2021 Rumble challenged New York’s online hate speech law which requires sites to “provide and maintain a clear and easily accessible mechanism for individual users to report incidents of hateful conduct.”
“Rumble is one of the few neutral, independent, and scaled video platforms that operate with a consistent and user-friendly moderation policy. We strive to employ only reasonable, obvious, and clearly defined standards of conduct,” reads a statement on Rumble’s site.
Videos that contain misinformation and promote conspiracy theories are widely watched on the platform. Brand has racked up thousands of views on his videos about conspiracies relating to Big Pharma.
However, Rumble is not totally lawless: proposed moderation policies published in June 2022 show that Rumble prohibits obscenity, stalking and discrimination. The site also suppresses results linked to keywords associated with hate speech or extremism, although the content itself is still accessible.
