EXCLUSIVE Parler CEO John Matze exploded on elected officials, such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who recently called for the censorship of his social media platform, declaring it “sick” and “evil”.
The chief executive said critics like Ocasio-Cortez did not understand what America stood for.
Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., recently has called on Apple and Google to take action against Parler, in a tweet that the leader of the so-called ‘Squad’ of progressive sent to her 11.4 million followers. Ocasio-Cortez is not alone. Many people on the left have made similar complaints.
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“I think it’s sick,” Matze told Fox News. “That’s not what the Constitution said. That’s not what the Constitution stands for, which bans ten plus American voters from the Internet and bans people’s freedom of speech. If people do such things, it shows that they are not does not understand the meaning of the Constitution or this country and what it stands for. ‘
Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Although Matze does not appreciate elected officials asking for his company to be shut down, he finds himself in the middle of the news cycle when Google and Apple Parler remove from their app stores and Amazon Web Services Parler from its web hosting services in the aftermath of the riot. the Capitol.
Parler is a non-partisan company, but it has become a haven for Trump supporters and others who have been kicked off Facebook and Twitter or left social networks in protest.
Parler filed a lawsuit against Amazon on Monday following Amazon Web Services’ decision to suspend Parler from its cloud hosting service following the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol last week.
Parler is seeking a temporary restriction to withhold Amazon Web Services from Parler, claiming Amazon Web Services is violating the Sherman Antitrust Act in the submission.
Matze feels that the technical giants merely focused on liberals who demanded that his company be silenced.
“Honestly, I would call it evil, because my definition of evil is ‘to impose your will on others,'” he said. “If you do not like what I have to say, you can not agree with me, but you can not take revengeful action against me without being angry.”
Matze has since promised that Parler will return in the near future with the necessary adjustments to keep everyone safe, while still advocating for free speech and respect for user privacy.
The newfound spotlight on Matze, which was overwhelmed by requests from reporters, also led to threats against him.
“There’s a group called UGNazi targeting me,” Matze said. He notes that the controversial hacker group has disclosed many of its passwords and personal information on the internet. “They published my street address and threatened to come through my front door.”
He usually does not take the threats against him seriously. But this time, he hid from his family.
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He is not sure when he will return home and says that he takes things “day-by-day”, but thinks that moving away from his usual routine amidst the chaos around his business, could have a positive impact.
“It probably made me right,” Matze said. “If I were home now, I think my stress levels would have been three times higher … there is at least the saving grace.”