Parler, a social media platform popular among conservatives, was back online Monday after going dark five weeks ago.
What You Need To Know
- Parler, a social media platform popular among conservatives, was back online Monday after going dark five weeks ago
- After the Capitol riot, Amazon booted Parler from its web hosting service, citing posts that encouraged and incited violence
- Apple and Google also removed Parler from their app download stores over concerns that the platform was being used to organize violence and illegal activity
- Parler's updated community guidelines say it “will not knowingly allow itself to be used as a tool for crime, civil torts, or other unlawful acts"
Parler’s website returned, accompanied with a redesigned logo, and the message: "Speak freely and express yourself openly, without fear of being 'deplatformed' for your views."
After the deadly Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot by supporters of former President Donald Trump, Amazon booted Parler from its web hosting service, saying it had found 98 posts "that clearly encourage and incite violence" and said the platform "poses a very real risk to public safety."
Parler, which went offline Jan. 11, sued Amazon alleging an antitrust violation and breach of contract. A federal judge rejected Parler’s request to force Amazon to restore its service, but the lawsuit is still pending.
Apple and Google also removed Parler from their app download stores over concerns that the platform was being used to organize violence and illegal activity. It was still absent from those app stores Monday, limiting its reach.
After being completely offline for about a week, Parler returned Jan. 17, but only with a static webpage showing a handful of messages while it said it was rebuilding its platform.
Many other large web-hosting services had also reportedly rejected Parler’s business. According to multiple reports, the social media company then partnered with the Russian company DDos-Guard for cybersecurity and web services, which raised concerns in the U.S., including from House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who requested an FBI investigation into Parler and its role in the Capitol attack.
CNN, however, reported that Parler’s traffic Monday was being directed to an IP address associated with California-based cloud services provider SkySilk.
Parler did not immediately respond to a request from Spectrum News seeking comment.
The company’s first post on its own platform Monday read: “We will not be canceled,” with a flexing biceps emoji.
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Parler, which has touted its hands-off approach to content moderation, gained in popularity after the presidential election, fueled largely by conservatives fed up with Twitter’s and Facebook’s practice of placing disclaimers on misleading posts, namely those from Trump, who was later suspended by the social media giants -- permanently by Twitter.
Parler had 15 million users when it went offline.
As of Monday, Parler’s community guidelines said it “will not knowingly allow itself to be used as a tool for crime, civil torts, or other unlawful acts. We will remove reported user content that a reasonable and objective observer would believe constitutes or evidences such activity. We may also remove the accounts of users who use our platform in this way.” But Parler maintained that its “mission is to create a social platform in the spirit of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
Parler CEO John Matze was fired amid the shutdown last month, telling his former employees in a memo that he and the company’s board, led by Republican megadonor Rebekah Mercer, clashed over their visions for the company. Mark Meckler, a leading voice in the Tea Party movement, has been hired as the company’s interim CEO.