Parler.com is back online after Amazon’s hosting service was launched, with the controversial social network saying they no longer rely on ‘Big Tech’ for its web infrastructure. An announcement from Parler states that the newly launched website ‘is built on sustainable, independent technology and is not dependent on the so-called’ Big Tech ‘for its operations.
Amazon cut off Parler’s web hosting service on January 10, a few days after a Trump-incited mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, saying: “Parler cannot meet our terms of service and poses a real risk to public safety in.” Parler sued Amazon in response, but a federal judge denied Parler’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have forced Amazon to reinstate its services.
Parler currently uses hosting services from a company called SkySilk. Parler said the site is only available this week to users who already have accounts. New users, on the other hand, can sign up next week. While existing users can now sign in to Parler, their old posts have been removed from the site, TechCrunch reports.
“When Parler was taken offline in January by those who want to silence tens of millions of Americans, our team came together, determined to keep our promise to our highly engaged community that we will return stronger than ever. We are delighted to welcome everyone back. “Parler interim CEO Mark Meckler said in the announcement.” Parler is managed by an experienced team and is here to stay. We will thrive as the leading social media platform dedicated to freedom of speech, privacy and civil dialogue. “(Meckler, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots in 2009, replaced the resigned CEO John Matze as head of Parler.)
Amazon has told the court that it cut off Parler because of the “unwillingness and inability to remove content from Amazon Web Services’ servers that threatens public safety, such as by inciting rape, torture and assassination, and planning public officials and private citizens. ‘
In new Parler reports, Parler’s official report said, ‘We will not be canceled,’ while Meckler wrote, ‘Parler is live and it feels so good!’ Here is a screenshot:
Parler is on a new road
Parler traffic passes through a data center in Ohio run by CloudRoute and from there to a SkySilk data center in Los Angeles, where SkySilk exchanges internet traffic with NTT. This is confirmed by traces of ten major cities spread across the Americas, Europe and Asia. We contacted NTT today and will update this article as we respond.
CloudRoute and SkySilk appear to be connected in some way and may eventually be part of the same company. CloudRoute CEO Andre Temnorod denied any wrongdoing and told The New York Times: “SkySilk is our customer and Parler is SkySilk’s customer.” However, in Whois information, Temnorod’s emails and other CloudRoute email addresses are listed as contacts for SkySilk. Kevin Matossian, CEO of SkySilk, “confirmed to NPR that the company provides web hosting services to Parler,” according to NPR reporter Bobby Allyn.
CloudRoute is described by Scamalytics as a potentially fraudulent Internet server, with about 56 percent of the ISP’s traffic ‘suspected to be fraudulent.’ We contacted CloudRoute and SkySilk today and will update this article as we respond.
CloudRoute considers itself a partner of Microsoft, but that does not necessarily mean that any Parler.com content is offered on Microsoft’s cloud services. Parler was a user of Microsoft Office 365 for email, and Microsoft employees apparently talked last month about not having to provide the service to Parler anymore. We contacted Microsoft today and will update this article as we respond.
Parler.com last month moved its domain to Epik, a domain registrar that also serves Gab, which is known for offering anti-Semitic content. Parler once used services from the Russian company DDoS-Guard last month, but apparently no longer.
Congress Examination
As reported last week, a congressional oversight committee is investigating whether Parler has financial ties to Russian entities and says the social network is “making Russian disinformation flourish” ahead of the 2020 U.S. election. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is also investigating a report of BuzzFeed that Parler offered the Trump organization a 40 percent stake in exchange for then-President Donald Trump making Parler his primary social network. The report “finally derailed by the events of January 6.”
Parler’s Community Guidelines stated: ‘We prefer that the removal of users or content provided by users be kept to an absolute minimum’ and that Parler’s policies be ‘position neutral’. However, the guidelines state that “Parler will not knowingly allow it to be used as a tool for crime, civil torture or other illegal acts. We will remove reported user content that a reasonable and objective observer would believe, or such activity “We can also delete the accounts of users who use our platform in this way.”
Reporter Jim Salter of Ars Technology contributed to this report.