View source for MeWe

{{Short description|Social network focused on privacy}}
{{Redirect|Mewe|the Polish town|Gniew}}
{{Pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Infobox dot-com company
| name = MeWe
| logo = TheMeWeLogo.png
| screenshot = 
| caption = 
| company_type = [[Private company|Private]]
| language = [[Multilingualism|Multilingual]]
| foundation = May 16, 2012 (as Sgrouples)
| location_city = [[Culver City]], [[California]]
| location_country = U.S.
| area_served = Worldwide
| founder = Mark Weinstein, Jonathan Wolfe
| key_people = [[Jeffrey Scott Edell]] ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]])<ref>{{Cite web|title=MeWe® Appoints Jeffrey Edell as New CEO|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mewe-appoints-jeffrey-edell-ceo-165000504.html|via=Yahoo Finance|publisher=PRNewswire|date=April 12, 2021|access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref>
| industry = [[Internet]]
| revenue = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income = 
| assets = 
| equity = 
| num_employees = 
| products = MeWe; MeWePro
| url = {{URL|mewe.com}}
}}

'''MeWe''' is a global [[social media]] and [[social networking service]] owned by '''Sgrouples''', a company based in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]. The site's interface has been described as similar to that of [[Facebook]], although the service describes itself as the "anti-Facebook" due to its focus on data privacy.<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":4">{{cite web|last=Graham|first=Jefferson|date=July 4, 2020|title=Done with Facebook? Consider MeWe, Parler or old standbys such as LinkedIn|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/06/30/facebook-alternatives-mewe-and-parler-old-linkedin-reddit/3280386001/|access-date=November 12, 2020|website=[[USA Today]]|language=en-US|archive-date=January 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113145307/http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/06/30/facebook-alternatives-mewe-and-parler-old-linkedin-reddit/3280386001/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Leonard3">{{cite news|last=Leonard|first=John|date=April 14, 2015|title=Social media without the snooping—nice idea but can it really work?|work=Computing|url=https://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/analysis/2403809/social-media-without-the-snooping-nice-idea-but-can-it-really-work|url-access=limited|access-date=February 26, 2019|archive-date=January 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122124148/https://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/analysis/2403809/social-media-without-the-snooping-nice-idea-but-can-it-really-work|url-status=live}}</ref>

Due to concerns surrounding possible pro-China censorship of [[Facebook]], the site also gained popularity in [[Hong Kong]] in November 2020.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=嚴熹曼|date=2020-11-20|title=MeWe懶人包｜不似Facebook多廣告、有審查 MeWe十個功能特點比較｜科技玩物|url=https://www.hk01.com/數碼生活/550939/mewe懶人包-不似facebook多廣告-有審查-mewe十個功能特點比較|access-date=2020-12-14|website=香港01|language=zh-HK|archive-date=2021-01-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126024421/https://www.hk01.com/%E6%95%B8%E7%A2%BC%E7%94%9F%E6%B4%BB/550939/mewe%E6%87%B6%E4%BA%BA%E5%8C%85-%E4%B8%8D%E4%BC%BCfacebook%E5%A4%9A%E5%BB%A3%E5%91%8A-%E6%9C%89%E5%AF%A9%E6%9F%A5-mewe%E5%8D%81%E5%80%8B%E5%8A%9F%E8%83%BD%E7%89%B9%E9%BB%9E%E6%AF%94%E8%BC%83|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Platform==
=== Features ===
In March 2020, MeWe launched dual-camera videos, which allow for both inward ("selfie") and outward-facing camera views.<ref>{{cite web|title=Social Media Platform 'MeWe' Launches Dual-Camera Videos|website=The Mac Observer|date=2020-03-16|url=https://www.macobserver.com/news/mewe-dual-camera-videos/|access-date=2022-06-06}}</ref> MeWe also touts its "Privacy Bill of Rights" as the primary differentiator between it and Facebook.<ref>{{cite web|last=Murphy|first=Coral|title=Facebook rival MeWe gains 2.5M members in a week as users seek privacy|website=USA Today|date=2021-01-20|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/01/20/mewe-social-network-gains-members-touts-privacy-over-facebook/4228797001/|access-date=2022-06-06}}</ref>

By 2015, as MeWe neared the end of its [[Software release life cycle#BETA|beta testing cycle]], the press called MeWe's software "not dissimilar to [[Facebook]]".<ref name="Leonard">{{cite news|last=Leonard|first=John|date=April 14, 2015|title=Social media without the snooping—nice idea but can it really work?|work=Computing|url=https://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/analysis/2403809/social-media-without-the-snooping-nice-idea-but-can-it-really-work|url-access=limited|access-date=February 26, 2019|archive-date=January 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122124148/https://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/analysis/2403809/social-media-without-the-snooping-nice-idea-but-can-it-really-work|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, ''[[Mashable]]'' described MeWe as replicating Facebook's features.<ref name=":0" />

The MeWe site and application has features common to most social media and social networking sites: users can post text and images to a feed, react to others' posts using [[emoji]], post animated [[GIF]]s, create specialized groups, post disappearing content, and [[online chat|chat]].<ref name="chen">{{cite news|last=Chen|first=I-Chun|date=July 5, 2018|title=Facebook alternative MeWe raises $5.2 million in funds|work=L.A. Biz|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2018/07/05/facebook-alternative-mewe-raises-5-2-million-in.html|access-date=February 26, 2019|archive-date=December 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205121931/https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2018/07/05/facebook-alternative-mewe-raises-5-2-million-in.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Online chat may occur between two or more people or among members of a group.<ref name="chen" /> Person-to-person online chat is similar to that in most other social media and social networking sites, and supports text, video calling, and voice calling.<ref name="orrreview">{{cite news |last=Orr |first=Andrew |date=April 19, 2018 |title=Review: MeWe is a Private Social Network Taking on Facebook |work=Mac Observer |url=https://www.macobserver.com/reviews/quick-look/mewe-private-social-network/ |access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> No longer a product offering, "Secret Chat" is limited to the paid subscription tier of MeWe,<ref name="amore">{{cite news |last=Amore|first=Samson|date=July 7, 2018|title=Facebook Alternative MeWe Raises $5.2M|work=Los Angeles Business Journal|url=http://labusinessjournal.com/news/2018/jul/07/facebook-alternative-mewe-raises-52m/ |access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> and uses [[Double Ratchet Algorithm|double ratchet encryption]] to ensure that chats are private and not visible even to MeWe employees.<ref name="chen" />

MeWe reported in June 2018 that the site had 90,000 active groups, 60,000 of which were "public" and open to all users.<ref name="amore" /> Following the influx of Hong Kong users in 2020, MeWe's former CEO, Mark Weinstein,<ref name="spangler">{{cite web|last=Spangler|first=Todd|title=MeWe Names Hollywood Veteran Jeffrey Edell CEO of Zero-Advertising Social Media Service|website=Variety|date=2021-04-12|url=https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/mewe-jeffrey-edell-ceo-1234948576/|access-date=2022-06-06}}</ref> announced that the website would provide a [[Traditional Chinese characters|Traditional Chinese]] language version by the end of the year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tai Po大埔12萬人Facebook群組一夜被滅 稱涉仇恨言論 網民籲轉場MeWe|url=https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20201205/OIYL3RPCUVAKPPSXC6NEQLAJQY/|access-date=2020-12-06|website=Apple Daily 蘋果日報|language=zh-hk|archive-date=2021-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118094606/https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20201205/OIYL3RPCUVAKPPSXC6NEQLAJQY/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== User base and content ===
==== United States ====
Although MeWe has not intentionally positioned itself as a social network for conservatives,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{cite web|last=Dickson|first=E. J.|date=November 12, 2020|title='Free Speech' Social-Media Apps See Enormous Growth After the Election|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/trump-election-facebook-twitter-mewe-parler-1088427/|access-date=November 13, 2020|website=[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]|language=en-US|archive-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112022900/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/trump-election-facebook-twitter-mewe-parler-1088427/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Mashable'' noted in November 2020 that its active userbase trends conservative.<ref name=":0" /> The platform's choice not to moderate [[misinformation]] on the platform has attracted conservatives who felt mainstream social networks were censoring their posts, and those who have been banned from those platforms.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">{{cite web|last=Leskin|first=Paige|date=November 6, 2020|title=Trump supporters are flocking to alternative social networks to plan election-office protests after Facebook banned groups that attracted hundreds of thousands of members|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-stop-the-steal-vote-counting-protests-mewe-parler-trump-2020-11|access-date=November 12, 2020|website=[[Business Insider]]}}</ref> MeWe is considered an [[alt-tech]] platform.<ref name="Wilson">{{Cite news|last=Wilson|first=Jason|date=January 13, 2021|title=Rightwingers flock to 'alt tech' networks as mainstream sites ban Trump|language=en-GB|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/social-media-trump-ban-alt-tech-far-right|url-status=live|access-date=January 16, 2021|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115030202/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/social-media-trump-ban-alt-tech-far-right}}</ref><ref name="Cohen-PCMag">{{Cite web|last=Cohen|first=Jason|date=January 15, 2021|title=How Mainstream Social Media Data Collection Compares With Alt-Tech Rivals|url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-mainstream-social-media-data-collection-compares-with-alt-tech-rivals|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216035105/https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-mainstream-social-media-data-collection-compares-with-alt-tech-rivals|archive-date=February 16, 2021|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=[[PCMag|PC Magazine]]|language=en}}</ref>

MeWe's loose moderation has made it popular among [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theorists]], including proponents of the far-right [[QAnon|QAnon conspiracy theory]], which was banned from Facebook in 2020, and the "[[Stop the Steal]]" conspiracy theory relating to the [[2020 United States presidential election]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>{{cite web |last=O'Sullivan |first=Donie |date=6 October 2020 |title=Three years later, Facebook says it will ban QAnon |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/06/tech/facebook-qanon/index.html |access-date=6 October 2020 |publisher=[[CNN]] |archive-date=6 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106171521/https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/06/tech/facebook-qanon/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', MeWe has "played host to general interest communities related to music and travel, but it has also come to be a haven for [[Vaccine hesitancy|anti-vaxxers]], QAnon conspiracy theorists, and, as reported by [[Medium (website)|OneZero]], [[Far-right politics|far-right]] [[Militia (United States)|militia]] groups."<ref name=":1" /> ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'' has described MeWe as a "major anti-vaxx forum".<ref name=":2"/> [[BBC News]] has described some of the content on MeWe as "extreme" and compared it to that of [[Gab (social network)|Gab]].<ref>{{cite news |date=November 9, 2020 |title=Parler 'free speech' app tops charts in wake of Trump defeat |language=en-GB |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54873800 |access-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109235624/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54873800 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Business Insider]]'' has reported that some of the most popular groups on MeWe focus on "extreme views, like anti-vaccine rhetoric, [[white supremacy]], and conspiracy theories" and that in 2020 the platform was used to organize [[2020 anti-lockdown protests in the United States|anti-lockdown protests]].<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Leskin|first=Paige|date=May 3, 2020|title=Anti-quarantine protesters are being kicked off Facebook and quickly finding refuge on a site loved by conspiracy theorists|work=[[Business Insider]]|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/anti-quarantine-protesters-mewe-facebook-groups-conspiracy-theorists-social-media-2020-5|access-date=October 3, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news|last=McKay|first=Tom|date=February 24, 2021|title=Your Travel Guide to the Rudderless Right-Wing Web After Trump|work=[[Gizmodo]]|url=https://gizmodo.com/your-travel-guide-to-the-rudderless-right-wing-web-afte-1845848066|access-date=October 3, 2021}}</ref> According to [[Megan Squire]], groups belonging to the [[Boogaloo movement]] began using the platform after their removal from Facebook.<ref name=":8" />

Shortly after the 2020 United States presidential election, MeWe and other alt-tech platforms experienced a wave of signups from Trump supporters, following crackdowns on election-related misinformation and promotion of violence on mainstream social networks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trump supporters move 'Stop the Steal' organizing to MeWe and Parler |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-stop-the-steal-vote-counting-protests-mewe-parler-trump-2020-11 |website=Business Insider |access-date=2020-11-12 |archive-date=2020-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112225258/https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-stop-the-steal-vote-counting-protests-mewe-parler-trump-2020-11 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Isaac |first1=Mike |last2=Browning |first2=Kellen |date=November 11, 2020 |title=Fact-Checked on Facebook and Twitter, Conservatives Switch Their Apps |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/parler-rumble-newsmax.html |via=NYTimes.com |access-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114212319/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/parler-rumble-newsmax.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On November 11, MeWe was the second-most downloaded free app on the Apple App Store, behind its fellow alt-tech social network [[Parler]].<ref name=":0" /> However, ''Mashable'' noted MeWe's practice of creating accounts on behalf of users and businesses who were not users of the site may have served to inflate the amount of activity on the platform.<ref name=":0" /> MeWe and other alt-tech networks again spiked in popularity shortly after the [[2021 storming of the United States Capitol|January 6, 2021 storming of the United States Capitol]], though this subsided shortly after, with downloads falling more than 80% from January to February 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Monroe|first=Madeline|date=March 16, 2021|title=Social media platforms on the right fail to maintain post-Jan. 6 growth|url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/543324-social-media-platforms-on-the-right-fail-to-maintain-post-jan-6-growth|url-status=live|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|language=en}}</ref>

On January 22, 2021, MeWe's CEO said in an interview with [[NPR]] that "MeWe is serious about putting limits on what people can say" and that he does not like sites where "anything goes", describing such sites as "disgusting". He also said that MeWe would be hiring more moderation staff. In the coverage, NPR noted that MeWe's stated rules are still "more lax than Facebook and Twitter," and that MeWe had not yet banned groups dedicated to QAnon.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bond|first=Shannon|date=2021-01-22|title=Fast-Growing Alternative To Facebook And Twitter Finds Post-Trump Surge 'Messy'|work=[[NPR]]|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/22/958877682/fast-growing-alternative-to-facebook-twitter-finds-right-wing-surge-messy|access-date=2021-01-24|quote="I don't like sites that are anything goes," Weinstein said. "I think they're disgusting. Good people right and left and middle can't handle 'anything goes.' We don't want to be around hate speech. We don't want to be around violence inciters."}}</ref>

==== Hong Kong ====
MeWe gained popularity in [[Hong Kong]] in November 2020, with users migrating from Facebook due to concerns with possible [[Internet censorship in China#Social media websites|pro-China censorship]] and moderation.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=佘錦洪|date=December 2, 2020|title=棄Facebook改投MeWe 港人為言論自由掀轉場熱潮|url=https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20201202/Q5AX57MG5FGQPODW7VHTX3IKTI/|access-date=2020-12-06|website=Apple Daily 蘋果日報|language=zh-hk|archive-date=2020-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201233144/https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20201202/Q5AX57MG5FGQPODW7VHTX3IKTI/|url-status=live}}</ref> The popularity of MeWe in Hong Kong has been attributed to the city's suspicion of any restraint on free speech, after the Chinese government imposed significant restrictions on the expression of dissent following the [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests|2019–20 protests]], including the [[Hong Kong national security law]]. MeWe communities in Hong Kong generally reflect everyday-life interests, with social media consultants in Hong Kong reporting that they have not seen extremist content in the communities they manage.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=How Hong Kong Became a Testing Ground for an 'Anti-Facebook' Movement|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3gnvk/how-hong-kong-became-a-testing-ground-for-an-anti-facebook-movement|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109204049/https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3gnvk/how-hong-kong-became-a-testing-ground-for-an-anti-facebook-movement|archive-date=2021-01-09|access-date=2021-01-11|website=Vice|language=en}}</ref>

== Reception ==
In a 2015 review of the beta MeWe service, British writer John Leonard called MeWe "well-designed and pretty intuitive", but questioned whether the company's business model was a viable one.<ref name="Leonard" /> Andrew Orr, reviewing the site in April 2018, felt that service was a good one but that it did not have any advantages over existing social media sites. That, he felt, would make it difficult for MeWe to attract users.<ref name="orrreview" /> In late 2020, the site also gained popularity in [[Hong Kong]] due to concerns surrounding possible pro-China censorship of [[Facebook]].<ref name=":6" />  MeWe takes a relatively light approach to content moderation according to some sources.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|last=Gilbert|first=David|date=November 12, 2020|title=Conservative Social Media Sites Are Creating a Giant Right-Wing Echo Chamber|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7a8mz/parler-gab-mewe-and-rumble-are-creating-a-massive-right-wing-echo-chamber|access-date=November 12, 2020|website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|archive-date=January 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116004207/https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7a8mz/parler-gab-mewe-and-rumble-are-creating-a-massive-right-wing-echo-chamber|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web|last=Binder|first=Matt|date=November 11, 2020|title=What is MeWe? Everything you need to know about the social network competing with Parler.|url=https://mashable.com/article/what-is-mewe-network-explainer/|access-date=November 12, 2020|website=[[Mashable]]|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126081901/https://mashable.com/article/what-is-mewe-network-explainer/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

In 2020, data scientist [[Wong Ho-wa]] criticized the site for its lack of [[multi-factor authentication]].<ref name=":5" /> MeWe intends to add support for two-factor authentication in the first or second quarter of 2021.<ref name=":7" />{{Update inline|date=December 2021}}

== Business ==
In 1998, entrepreneur Mark Weinstein and Jonathan Wolfe<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/print-edition/2011/06/10/jonathan-wolfe-no-child-unfractaled.html|title=Jonathan Wolfe: leaving no child 'unfractaled'|first=Megan|last=Kamerick|work=NMBW|date=10 Jun 2011|access-date=2022-06-06}}</ref> established SuperGroups.com, a social media website. The site was closed by its largest investor in 2001.<ref name="fontana">{{cite web |last=Fontana |first=John |date=August 7, 2012 |title=Will Sgrouples end social networking's attack on privacy? |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/will-sgrouples-end-social-networkings-attack-on-privacy/ |access-date=February 26, 2019 |website=ZDNet |archive-date=April 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402231046/https://www.zdnet.com/article/will-sgrouples-end-social-networkings-attack-on-privacy/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Gathering largely the same leadership team, Weinstein incorporated Sgrouples Inc. in 2011.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="fontana" /><ref name="bloomberg">{{cite web |date=February 26, 2019 |title=Company Overview of Sgrouples Inc. |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=271559907 |access-date=February 26, 2019 |website=Bloomberg |archive-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301135909/https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=271559907 |url-status=live }}</ref> MeWe was incorporated as a subsidiary of Sgrouples,<ref name="bloomberg" /> and based in [[Culver City, California]].<ref name="amore" /> Over the next six years, Sgrouples raised about $10 million from investors including [[lynda.com]] founder [[Lynda Weinman]], fashion designer [[Rachel Roy]], and authors [[Jack Canfield]] and Marci Shimoff.<ref name="chen" /><ref name="amore" />

MeWe finished its initial financing round in July 2018 by raising $5.2 million in new funds.<ref name="chen" /><ref name="amore" /> The company began work on upgrading MeWe and initiating work on an [[Enterprise software|enterprise version]] called MeWePRO.<ref name="chen" />

MeWe emphasizes its commitment to privacy and remaining ad-free.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="amore" /> MeWe has said they will never use [[HTTP cookie|cookies]] or [[spyware]] to generate content about users, and that it will not track user activity in any way or sell user data to a third party.<ref name="Leonard" /><ref name="chen" /> MeWe has described itself as the "anti-Facebook" due to its focus on data privacy, lack of moderation, and simple newsfeed algorithm.<ref name=":4" /> MeWe had 20 million registered users.<ref>{{cite web|last=Fischer|first=Sara|title=Exclusive: MeWe looks to raise money to fuel expansion|website=Axios|date=2021-07-13|url=https://www.axios.com/2021/07/13/mewe-expansion-fundraise|access-date=2022-06-06}}</ref>

The MeWe business model does not rely on advertising revenue; rather, MeWe generates revenue from MeWe Premium subscriptions and from users purchasing premium enhancements a-la-carte such as a live voice / live video calling, extra storage, custom emojis, and custom themes.<ref name="chen" /><ref name="orrreview" /><ref name="brown">{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Shelby |date=December 13, 2018 |title=Can MeWe become the anti-Facebook of social media? |url=https://download.cnet.com/news/can-mewe-become-the-anti-facebook-of-social-media/ |access-date=February 26, 2019 |website=CNET |archive-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301135839/https://download.cnet.com/news/can-mewe-become-the-anti-facebook-of-social-media/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2019, MeWe launched "MeWe Premium", an optional $4.99 per month subscription that gives users a bundle of enhancements including: live voice / live video calling; unlimited custom themes; unlimited custom emojis and stickers; video journals for stories; 100GB of MeWe Cloud Storage; and more.<ref name="chen" /><ref name="brown" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Subscription-based social network MeWe launches premium features and a business product |url=http://social.techcrunch.com/2019/12/19/subscription-based-social-network-mewe-launches-premium-features-and-a-business-product/ |access-date=2019-12-20 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref>

Mark Weinstein is the founder of MeWe and was its CEO until April 2021. [[Jeffrey Scott Edell]] became the company's CEO and was named as Chairman in 2022.<ref name="spangler" /><ref name="brown2">{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Shelby |date=December 13, 2018 |title=Can MeWe become the anti-Facebook of social media? |url=https://download.cnet.com/news/can-mewe-become-the-anti-facebook-of-social-media/ |access-date=February 26, 2019 |website=CNET |archive-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301135839/https://download.cnet.com/news/can-mewe-become-the-anti-facebook-of-social-media/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Advisors to MeWe include computer scientist [[Tim Berners-Lee]] and [[filmmaker]] [[Cullen Hoback]].<ref name="Leonard2">{{cite news |last=Leonard |first=John |date=April 14, 2015 |title=Social media without the snooping—nice idea but can it really work? |work=Computing |url=https://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/analysis/2403809/social-media-without-the-snooping-nice-idea-but-can-it-really-work |url-access=limited |access-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-date=January 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122124148/https://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/analysis/2403809/social-media-without-the-snooping-nice-idea-but-can-it-really-work |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="orr2">{{cite news |last=Orr |first=Andrew |date=April 16, 2018 |title=The Father of the Web is Backing a Private Social Network |work=Mac Observer |url=https://www.macobserver.com/news/the-father-of-the-web-is-backing-a-private-social-network/ |access-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301140008/https://www.macobserver.com/news/the-father-of-the-web-is-backing-a-private-social-network/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==References==
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