#SubstackHasANaziProblem

Last week, people got swastikas in their notifications, because Substacks algorithm was recommending top Nazi newsletters. That's where your views and subscriptions money go: to fund Nazis.

https://www.techdirt.com/2025/08/04/substacks-algorithm-accidentally-reveals-what-we-already-knew-its-the-nazi-bar-now/

Substack’s Algorithm Accidentally Reveals What We Already Knew: It’s The Nazi Bar Now

Back in April 2023, when Substack CEO Chris Best refused to answer basic questions about whether his platform would allow racist content, I noted that his evasiveness was essentially hanging out a …

Techdirt

#PSA #CallToAction

If you have a newsletter (or know someone who has one) on Substack, please pass this link on: soon they won't be able to port their paid subscriptions off to a different platform, because Apple will be handing the money. They must act ASAP to get off the Nazi propaganda platform to an alternative.

#SubstackHasANaziProblem #Substack

https://mail.bigdeskenergy.com/p/substack-just-killed-creator-economy

ICYMI #PSA #CallToAction

If you have a newsletter (or know someone who has one) on Substack, please pass this link on: soon they won't be able to port their paid subscriptions off to a different platform, because Apple will be handing the money. They must act ASAP to get off the Nazi propaganda platform to an alternative.

#SubstackHasANaziProblem #Substack

https://mail.bigdeskenergy.com/p/substack-just-killed-creator-economy

#CallToAction #PSA

A reminder: the time to move your super-progressive, anti-fascist newsletter off Substack aka the Nazi bar, is *as soon as you can*, before they make it impossible for you to move your paying subscriptions off their walled garden. Also, you'll make more money elsewhere.

#SubstackHasANaziProblem

After the most recent Bluesky CEO public meltdown (reported brilliantly by Nico Mara-McKay 👇🏽), I can't but think about all the progressive writers who continue to publish their newsletters through Substack's soon-to-be-walled platform.

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#SubstackHasANaziProblem

https://plutopsyche.medium.com/blueskys-ceo-meltdown-how-leadership-continues-to-fail-its-most-marginalized-users-8bfa7a8824b4

Bluesky’s CEO meltdown: How leadership continues to fail its most marginalized users

tl;dr: Bluesky began with genuine promise: a new social media platform where users could feel safer, but inconsistent moderation quickly…

Medium

No writer on Substack making substantial money off the platform can *not* know that the platform uses part of the subscribers' fees to fund Bari Weis and other Nazi propaganda they funnel to ALL subscribers, not only those who already subscribe to Nazi newsletters. It even made the news!

#SubstackHasANaziProblem

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https://www.thehandbasket.co/p/substack-extemist-nazi-problem-update

Substack’s extremist ecosystem is flourishing

The app's recent swastika push alert was just the tip of the iceberg.

The Handbasket

Even self-professed progressive writers with large subscriber numbers *on Substack* wrote there about the Nazi propaganda that *their* subscribers got!

There are so many well-known progressives writing about fascism on the Nazi-propaganda platform, the cognitive dissonance has to be epic indeed.

#SubstackHasANaziProblem

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Now that Substack is using Apple to process payments, their readers there will have to pay more to read their newsletter, and soon, should they decided to throttle who beyond their existing subscribers sees their writing, they won't be able to migrate those subscriptions to a different platform.

#SubstackHasANaziProblem

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https://mail.bigdeskenergy.com/p/substack-just-killed-creator-economy

Substack just killed the creator economy

RIP

Big Desk Energy

Now, I suspect that many of the ~serious political~ writers pontificating on fascism in the U.S. are very aware of Substack's Nazi problem, which is why they hide their use of the platform behind dot com names.

On Bluesky, there's a labeler that shows when ostensibly "dot com" or "dot net" links are for newsletters on substack--I don't believe there's an equivalent on Mastodon.

#SubstackHasANaziProblem

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However, if you check, you, dear reader, may be shocked to discover how many of the progressive content you read, by some very well known names with great street cred, is actually sold through the Nazi bar, passing the Nazi bar owner a share of the fee YOU pay them.

#SubstackHasANaziProblem

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If this troubles you, and you are in good enough terms (aka, have a large enough platform they'll actually notice you), you may want to let them know about it.

Or you may want to stop supporting the people who prop up the Nazi bar, before the platform forces them to write propaganda themselves.

#SubstackHasANaziProblem

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Because, again, once these progressive writers can't easily migrate their subscriptions off the Nazi-bar, *their entire livelihood will be dependent on keeping the Nazi-bar owners happy*. How many will choose their stated principles over paying the mortgage?

(Hint: they're still on Substack., and, as we all know, #SubstackHasANaziProblem )

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I have a long thread on Bluesky with links to guides on how to migrate newsletters off Substack and onto Ghost, Buttondown, beehiiv. I'm sure there are other alternatives (I have no idea how Medium or Wordpress would handle this, for example), but the point is: progressive writers can show the way to marginalized communities by leaving the Nazi bar for anti-fascist spaces.

#SubstackHasANaziProblem

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https://bsky.app/profile/azteclady.bsky.social/post/3lhue2esgus24

azteclady (@azteclady.bsky.social)

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Bluesky Social