Apple has denied Parler access to the company’s App Store again after the controversial conservative social media app was removed from the platform in January following the January 6 riot in the Capitol, according to documents quoted by Bloomberg.
“After reviewing the new information, we do not believe these changes are sufficient to meet the App Store Review guidelines,” Apple wrote to Parler’s chief executive on Feb. 25, according to Bloomberg. “There is no place for hateful, racist, discriminatory content in the App Store.”
Apple suspended Parler from its platform in January due to the app’s lack of moderation and threats. The app was also removed from Amazon’s web hosting services the same month.
Apple and Amazon have given Parler the opportunity to change their content moderation policy. But on February 15, Parler launched again, this time on its own platform, which made it possible to circumvent moderation regulations.
With the launch, the app introduced new community guidelines, but this was insufficient for the App Store’s regulations – namely due to ‘easily identifiable’ derogatory terms and symbols on the platform.
“In fact, simple searches reveal extremely offensive content, including easily offensive use of derogatory terms regarding race, religion, and sexual orientation, as well as Nazi symbols,” Apple wrote in a letter to Parler, according to Bloomberg. “For these reasons, your app may not be redistributed to the App Store until it complies with the guidelines.”
On Wednesday, Parler allegedly cut three of his remaining iOS developers, Bloomberg reported, referring to a person familiar with the matter. Overall, the company removed seven employees, most of whom were contractors, while other staff worked on Parler TV and quality assurance.
Parler’s community guidelines were written by chief policy officer Amy Peikoff, and Bloomberg reports that two people are familiar with the matter.
Parler grew in popularity among conservative users after the 2020 presidential election and the Capitol riots on January 6, calling themselves a pro-free speech platform following Twitter to target certain users, including former President Trump
Donald Trump Prosecutors in Manhattan intensify investigation into Trump’s New York estate: reported GOP leaders reiterate commitment to working with Trump amid back-and-forth top Republicans, trying to curb concerns over Trump’s funding requirements MORE, which banned him permanently.
Apple and Parler did not immediately respond to requests for comment.