FreeSpeechTube
FreeSpeechTube (aka FST) is a free-speech tolerant, independent video hosting platform and archive, founded in early 2019 by Norbert de Jonge. It has been temporarily suspended in mid-February, 2023, pending important technical maintenance works.
FST and online celebrities
FST is particularly well known for supporting MAPs in their quest for a safer, censorship-free online space. Early on in its existence, it was known as a hangout for Amos Yee, swelling its viewership figures considerably. In its first iteration's later years, FST was known for hosting the Dutch activist, Nelson Maatman among others.
FST v1.0
Early on in its life, restrictions had to be imposed against NSFW "NN" type content (see early web archives). This material was determined to be posing an existential threat to the site, due to moderation demands, and the general censorship liability.
Over the years, viewership faded, and De Jonge left the project in 2022, owing to his personal situation. This left FST with no technical support, moderation, or other contingencies, barring a secure hosting arrangement. The original FST nevertheless persisted for almost a year, until it began to face some issues with Pakistani commercial spammers and then an unsophisticated sock farm pushing rape apologia. The latter operation was thought by many casual observers to be started by, or related to an aggressive group of American Mormons who were at the time planning an online documentary about Maatman (and, it was assumed, seeking to misrepresent the MAP Movement by engaging in online astro-turfing and disruption).
FST v2.0
Following the technical outage, FreeSpeechTube is likely to return under identical or more MAP-related branding, using a federated video sharing model. While it may take time to integrate old metadata with some of the sites' less visible content, this will allow technical updates to continue for the foreseeable future.