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Parler is an American microblogging and social networking service, with mobile apps for iOS, iPadOS, and other platforms. Parler had a significant user base of Donald Trump supporters, conservatives, conspiracy theorists, and right-wing extremists.[2][3][4][5] Posts on the service often contained far-right content,[10] antisemitism,[17] and conspiracy theories such as QAnon.[21] Journalists described Parler as an alternative to Twitter, and users included those banned from mainstream social networks or opposing their moderation policies.[2][5][22]

History[]

Parler iOS icon 2020

Parler icon in 2020

Launched in August 2018, Parler marketed itself as a "free speech" and unbiased alternative to mainstream social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. However, journalists and users criticized the service for content policies that were more restrictive than the company portrays and sometimes more restrictive than those of its competitors.[23][24][25][26] Some left-wing users were banned from Parler for challenging the prevailing viewpoints on the site, criticizing Parler, or creating parody accounts.[27][28][29]

Removal from app stores[]

Following complaints that Parler was used to coordinate the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack, Parler's Android app was removed from the Google Play Store on January 8, 2021.[30][31][32] Apple informed Parler executives on the same day that its mobile app would be removed from the App Store within 24 hours if Parler did not improve its moderation policy; Apple removed the Parler app on January 9.[32][33][34] Amazon announced that it would suspend Parler from Amazon Web Services the following day, causing it to go offline at 11:59pm on January 10, 2021.[35][36][37] Before the site went down, a security vulnerability allowed personal information about its users to be harvested by hackers and law enforcement.[38] Parler CEO John Matze stated that "every vendor" had stopped doing business with them, potentially bringing the business to an end.[39]

Reinstatement[]

In January 2021, Matze struck a hosting deal with Epik to get Parler back online, but he was fired by board member and co-founder Rebekah Mercer by the following month.[40] On February 15, Parler announced that its website was back online, though Android users needed to sideload the app downloaded directly from Parler's website, something not possible on iOS without jailbreaking.[41] It was reinstated on the Apple App Store on May 17, 2021.[42]

Ownership[]

Parler has not publicly disclosed the identities of its owners besides founder John Matze.[24] Rebekah Mercer, an investor known for her contributions to conservative individuals and organizations, is a co-founder of the company, and conservative political commentator Dan Bongino has said he is also an owner.[43][44] According to Parler, the service had about 4 million active users and over 10 million total users as of November 2020.[45][46] User activity peaked after the 2020 United States presidential election that month and fell again in December.[47][48]

In September 2022, Parler LLC acquired Dynascale, a cloud computing company, and reorganized itself as Parlement Technologies to offer "uncancelable" cloud services.[49] The CEO at the time was George Farmer. On October 17, 2022, Parlement Technologies stated that it was in the process of being acquired by the artist formerly known as Kanye West.[50] However, after the deal with West fell through, Parler was acquired by Starboard (a conservative digital-media company previously known as Olympic Media) which shut down the website on April 14, 2023 to revamp it.[51]

System requirements[]

References[]

  1. Parler by Parler LLC, AppAdvice. 2021-11-18.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Unhappy with Twitter, thousands of Saudis join pro-Trump social network Parler. Reuters (June 14, 2019).
  3. 3.0 3.1 Sardarizadeh, Shayan. "Parler 'free speech' app tops charts in wake of Trump defeat", BBC News, November 9, 2020. (in en-GB) 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Parler: Where the Mainstream Mingles with the Extreme (en). Anti-Defamation League (November 12, 2020).
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Saul, Isaac (July 18, 2019). This Twitter Alternative Was Supposed To Be Nicer, But Bigots Love It Already. The Forward.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Manavis, Sarah (June 23, 2020). What is Parler? Inside the pro-Trump "unbiased" platform. New Statesman.
  7. 7.0 7.1 The Gross Hellscape That Awaits Ted Cruz on Parler (en-US). The Bulwark (June 26, 2020).
  8. Silverman, Dwight (November 12, 2020). 5 things to know about Parler, the right-wing-friendly social network (en-US). The Houston Chronicle.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Smith, Adam (June 22, 2020). What is the right-wing Parler app that MPs and celebrities are joining? (en). The Independent.
  10. [5][6][7][8][9]
  11. "Fact-Checked on Facebook and Twitter, Conservatives Switch Their Apps", The New York Times, November 11, 2020. (in en-US) 
  12. Johnson, Bert (December 6, 2020). Social Media App Parler's 'Free Speech' Focus Draws Conservatives — And Violent Extremists, Experts Say. KXJZ.
  13. "A conservative social network that 'rejects fact checkers' gains ground in the US", Deccan Chronicle, July 8, 2020. 
  14. Newhouse, Alex (November 27, 2020). Parler is bringing together mainstream conservatives, anti-Semites and white supremacists as the social media platform attracts millions of Trump supporters (en). The Conversation.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Edwards, Josh (November 18, 2020). Parler is filled with coffee shop talk for Nazis. The Daily Sentinel.
  16. 16.0 16.1 Parker, Bryan C. (December 1, 2020). I tried Parler, the social media app where hate speech thrives. Houston Chronicle.
  17. [11][4][5][9][12][6][13][14][15][16]
  18. Sommer, Will. "Parler Was Pitched as a Conservative Twitter. It's Now a Depository For Hunter Biden Political Porn.", The Daily Beast, October 28, 2020. (in en) 
  19. Fortson, Danny. "Parler — the site where hate speech is free", The Sunday Times, October 18, 2020. (in en) 
  20. Nguyen, Tina (November 22, 2020). On Parler, MAGA's post-election world view blossoms with no pushback. Politico.
  21. [6][5][7][18][19][3][20][15][16]
  22. Pro-Trump Activists Are Boosting A Twitter App Used By Banned Personalities And It Appears To Have Already Stalled (en). BuzzFeed News (February 12, 2019).
  23. Lerman, Rachel (July 15, 2020). The conservative alternative to Twitter wants to be a place for free speech for all. It turns out, rules still apply. (en). The Washington Post.
  24. 24.0 24.1 "Parler is the new Twitter for conservatives. Here's what you need to know", Fortune, June 29, 2020. 
  25. Cameron, Dell (June 30, 2020). Parler CEO Says He'll Ban Users for Posting Bad Words, Dicks, Boobs, or Poop (en-us). Gizmodo.
  26. "What's the Deal With Parler?", Slate, July 3, 2020. 
  27. Wellemeyer, James (July 3, 2020). Conservatives are flocking to a new 'free speech' social media app that has started banning liberal users (en). NBC News.
  28. Cuthbertson, Anthony (November 12, 2020). 'Free speech' app Parler, used by far-right, bans users for speaking freely (en). The Independent.
  29. Covucci, David (June 30, 2020). Free speech app Parler is already banning leftists (en-US). The Daily Dot.
  30. Chen, Shawna (January 8, 2021). Google suspends Parler from app store after deadly U.S. Capitol violence (en). Axios.
  31. Peters, Jay (January 8, 2021). Google pulls Parler from Play Store for fostering calls to violence (en). The Verge.
  32. 32.0 32.1 Nellis, Stephen. "Google suspends Parler social networking app from Play Store; Apple gives 24-hour warning", Reuters, January 9, 2021. (in en) 
  33. Mac, Ryan (January 8, 2021). Apple Has Threatened To Ban Parler From The App Store. BuzzFeed News.
  34. Apple and Google Cut Off Parler, an App That Drew Trump Supporters. The New York Times (January 10, 2021).
  35. Paczkowski, John. "Amazon Is Booting Parler Off Of Its Web Hosting Service", BuzzFeed News, January 9, 2021. 
  36. Palmer, Annie. "Amazon to drop Parler from its web hosting service, citing violent posts", CNBC, 2021-01-10. (in en) 
  37. Spangler, Todd (2021-01-10). Amazon to Suspend Hosting Services for Parler, Saying App ‘Poses a Very Real Risk to Public Safety’ (en-US). Variety.
  38. 70TB of Parler users’ messages, videos, and posts leaked by security researchers by Vilius Petkauskas, CyberNews. 2021-01-11.
  39. Parler CEO Says Service Dropped By “Every Vendor” And Could End His Business by Bruce Haring, Deadline. 2021-01-10.
  40. Parler Fires CEO John Matze, Now Forced to Hide Amid Serious Threats! by Isaiah Alonzo, Tech Times. 2021-02-03.
  41. Parler Back Online: How to Get and Use? iOS, Android Download Status by Isaiah Alonzo, Tech Times. 2021-02-15.
  42. Parler to relaunch in Apple store by Chris Mills Rodrigo, The Hill. 2021-05-17.
  43. Meet Rebekah Mercer, the deep-pocketed co-founder of Parler, a controversial conservative social network. CNN.
  44. "Conservatives fed up with 'censorship' on Twitter jump to Parler", Washington Examiner, June 24, 2020. 
  45. "Parler, Backed by Mercer Family, Makes Play for Conservatives Mad at Facebook, Twitter", Wall Street Journal, November 14, 2020. (in en-US) 
  46. Ingram, David (November 10, 2020). A Twitter for conservatives? Parler surges amid election misinformation crackdown (en). NBC News.
  47. Dishman, Lydia (December 7, 2020). Conservative playgrounds Parler and MeWe are not sustaining their pre-election growth. Fast Company.
  48. Yurieff, Kaya (December 10, 2020). Conservatives flocked to Parler after the election. But its explosive growth is over. CNN.
  49. Parler forms a new parent company to offer ‘uncancelable’ cloud services by Taylor Hatmaker, TechCrunch. 2022-09-16.
  50. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, to acquire Parler platform by Parler, PR Newswire. 2022-10-17.
  51. Parler Shuts Down Temporarily, Finds Buyer Months After Kanye West Deal Faltered by Sarah E. Needleman, The Wall Street Journal. 2023-04-14.

See also[]

  • Truth Social, another social media platform, founded by Donald Trump.

External links[]

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