Parler’s CEO, who claims to have had more than 12 million users before being cut off by Amazon, Apple and Google last week, said the social network popular with Trump sympathizers may not be a new one. can not find home on the internet. .
In an interview with Reuters when Parler may return, CEO John Matze said: ‘It can never be. We do not know yet. ”
Amazon’s AWS division on Sunday concluded its hosting service contract with Parler, which has promoted itself to conservatives as a ‘free speech’ alternative to Twitter or Facebook. In the action, Amazon cited nearly 100 examples of violent threats on Parler, which according to the e-commerce company could not remove the social app. AWS’s disconnection from Parler came after the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6 by a pro-Trump crowd, a shocking attack for which the president was charged for the second time on Wednesday.
Previously, Apple and Google banned Parler from their respective app stores, citing Parler’s actual policies on violent and harmful content and the risk of contributing to further violence following the riot in Capitol.
Matze told Reuters that Parler was in talks with other hosting services, but he declined to name it and “according to the likelihood of harassment for the companies involved”. On January 11, Parler’s domain name was transferred to Epik, a registrar elected by the far-right groups hosting Gab.com and the domain name for the Proud Boy’s former sites, Mashable reports.
Parler sued Amazon Monday, alleging he allegedly breached a contract and violated the Sherman Antitrust Act with Twitter to halt the app. Parler is seeking an order to repair his AWS contract and unspecified monetary damages. Amazon said the case has no merit and has filed documents showing it warned Parler in late 2020 about violent hate speech in the app.
In addition to kicking off Apple and Google’s app stores and being cut off by AWS, according to Matze, Parler was also banned by American Express and online payment provider Stripe.
Parler was founded in 2018 and boasts of its practical approach to moderation, as opposed to the intensified policing by mainstream social networks to eliminate misinformation and hate speech. The company is funded by hedge fund investor Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah Mercer.