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The app, which used to attract millions of Trump supporters, is set to be revived when he runs for president, but it may not be able to compete with Truth Social.
By Chris Cameron
Parler, the social media platform popular with right-wing audiences that ditched app outlets after making calls for violence around Jan. 6, 2021, will relaunch early next year, the company’s new owners announced Monday.
“We’re committed to bringing Parler back online,” Ryan Rhodes, Parler’s new chief executive, said in a statement. The app had been shut down in April after it was purchased by Starboard, a digital media company.
Rhodes and Elise Pierotti, who in the past served as the company’s chief marketing officer, bought the company last week, Pierotti said.
Parler, which billed itself as a platform for “irrevocable, relaxed speech,” attracted millions of followers of former President Donald J. Trump and was once the most downloaded app on Apple’s App Store. But tech corporations withdrew their interest in the platform a short time later. the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol, saying the company wasn’t doing enough to rein in posts that incited violence or crime.
Apple and Google banned the app from their app retail stores, and Amazon started the business from its internet hosting service. Effectively banned from retail app stores on almost every smartphone in the world, the platform struggled to access its user base. It was later reinstated at Apple and Google app outlets.
Now, the app is about to get back up and running, as Trump runs for president for a third time. The relaunch is scheduled for February.
Rhodes said Parler’s new leadership would take steps to keep “harmful content like terrorism, child pornography, and trafficking off our platform. “
Rhodes added that the most recent edition of the platform would not aim to compete with Truth Social, the conservative social media corporation introduced through Rhodes. This has ruled the conservative area of social media in Parler’s absence, squeezing rival platforms like Gab, Gettr, MeWe, and Mentes.
Parler said in a statement that it would emphasize “a return to its roots as a robust marketplace of ideas.”
The embattled social media platform made headlines last year when a deal to buy Kanye West, the rapper criticized for his anti-Semitic comments, came to light shortly after its announcement.
On Monday, Ms. Pierotti listed a third member, Jaco Booyens, as a co-owner of the newest version of Parler. After the initial publication of this article, Ms. Pierotti declared that she had been mistaken and claimed that Mr. Booyens “simply joined the team as the lead strategy officer. “
Sheelagh McNeill contributed to the investigation.
Chris Cameron covers politics for The Times, focusing on the breakout and the 2024 campaign. Learn more about Chris Cameron
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