Why Is Everyone Talking About Parler?

When Twitter suspended President Trump's personal account on Friday evening, two days after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, Parler rose to number one on the app store. The social networking service, which markets itself as "the free speech social network," has become an alternative to Twitter for conservatives and far-right extremists and, most recently, has reportedly been used to organize the deadly riots at the Capitol. In light of these reports, Apple and Google announced they would remove Parler from their respective app stores.

"In order to protect user safety on Google Play, our longstanding policies require that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence," a Google spokesperson said in a statement Friday, per NBC News. "All developers agree to these terms and we have reminded Parler of this clear policy in recent months. We’re aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the U.S."

Apple also suspended Parler from its app store after threatening to remove it 24 hours earlier if it didn't submit an update and a moderation improvement plan.

"We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity," Apple said in a statement, per Politico. "Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people’s safety. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues."

Amazon is now following in the footsteps of Apple and Google by threatening to remove its cloud service, which powers Parler. BuzzFeed reported that Amazon Web Services (AWS) will no longer provide cloud services to the company beginning on Sunday, January 10, at 11:59 p.m. PT, which means Parler will need to find a new cloud provider to host its site by this time. Otherwise, it won't be able to operate.

Since its founding in 2018, Parler has become a hub for QAnon conspiracy theorists, members of the Proud Boys, Holocaust deniers, and white supremacists. Republican politicians, including recently-elected QAnon conspiracist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, claim that Parler's ban from Apple, Google, and Amazon is another so-called attempt for Big Tech to censor conservatives on its platforms and "hurt another American private company." John Matze, who co-founded Parler alongside Jared Thomson and conservative donor Rebekah Mercer, said this was "a coordinated attack by the tech giants to kill competition in the market place." Meanwhile, users continue to threaten violence against politicians, with further planning on the platform ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20.

While the future of Parler is unknown, Twitter remains top of mind for conservatives. It's possible that an increasing number of conservatives will either leave the platform to boycott the president's suspension, or remain on the site and complain that they're losing followers, distracting from the events that occurred on January 6.

This post will be updated as more information surfaces.