Parler Has Gone Offline
The Claim
Social media site Parler has gone dark.
News posted on
Emerging story
Many social media users posted that Parler has gone offline after Amazon suspended it from its server hosting service on Sunday, January 10, 2021.
Misbar’s Analysis
According to Misbar’s investigation, Parler, an alternative social media platform favored by conservatives, is now virtually homeless on the internet. Amazon, Apple, and Google have all removed it from their platforms in a span of a little more than 24 hours, reports CNN.com. Amazon’s decision to remove Parler from its cloud hosting service went into force on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.
On Friday, January 8, 2021, Google removed Parler from the Google Play Store, making it much harder for Android users to download and access the app. Apple removed Parler from the iPhone app store a day later.
Parler, a Twitter clone that was popular with Donald Trump supporters, gained notoriety as a communication hub for the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. However, in a letter to Parler from Amazon, the tech giant stated: “We cannot provide services to a customer that is unable to effectively identify and remove content that encourages or incites violence against others.” However, according to Parler Chief Policy Officer Amy Peikoff, “We are clearly being singled out.”
Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor Kathleen Carley, in BusinessInsider.com, believes it likely won't be the end of the network, but the decision will likely drive apps like Parler to the dark web and encrypted systems. "Probably not the end to Parler," Carley wrote in an email to Insider. "They just have to find another server space."
