Is Parler back online?
On Saturday, Parler’s CEO, John Matze, posted on its official website: ‘Hello world, is this thing on?’
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Your support makes all the difference.Parler’s website reappeared online on Saturday with a brief post from its chief executive officer, John Matze, indicating that the social media platform, which is popular among conservative Americans, could soon return for download on digital stores.
Mr Matze’s note on Parler’s official website read: “Hello world, is this thing on?” Parler’s app was removed from the app stores of both Google and Apple, two major smartphone operating systems, to prevent escalation of violence in the wake of the Capitol riots.
Amazon had also suspended Parler from its web hosting service due to which the website had gone offline. Subsequently, Parler had sued Amazon claiming that Amazon Web Services had breached their contractual agreement and violated antitrust laws by shutting down its account.
Mr Matze’s message was just above a note that said, “now seems like the right time to remind you all — both lovers and haters — why we started this platform.”
“We believe privacy is paramount and free speech essential, especially on social media. Our aim has always been to provide a nonpartisan public square where individuals can enjoy and exercise their rights to both,” the note said.
The message from Parler on its official page said that it will “resolve any challenge before us and plan to welcome all of you back soon. We will not let civil discourse perish!”
The app is yet to return on app stores for download but Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, told Fox News that Parler could be back if they “get their moderation together.”
Parler, which positioned itself as an alternative to Twitter, has become popular among followers of right-wing ideology, including followers of Donald Trump, due to aggressive scrutiny of messages by other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
In fact, Mr Trump had himself considered creating an account on Parler under the pseudonym “Person X.”
After the riots, Parler was also accused of unknowingly exposing the location data of rioters at the Capitol who uploaded videos on it.
Additional reporting by agencies
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