Parler, the social media platform that gained popularity throughout 2020 as a safe haven for conservative commenters, essentially got destroyed this weekend. Some quick background: After the failed insurrection on the Capitol Wednesday, a swath of social media giants, one after the other, began banning Trump and his enablers from their platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok.
As a result of this, Trump, his enablers, supports, and right-wing extremists ran to Parler, causing the app to skyrocket to the top of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store charts by Friday. But that’s where Parler’s hurt began.
- Friday, January 8: Shortly after hitting the top of the charts on Apple’s App Store, on Friday morning, Apple sent Parler a letter saying that the platform had 24 hours to come up with effective moderation measures that could combat posts encouraging illegal activity on the platform, including an increasing number of posts calling for violence.
- Later that day, Google announced that it removed Parler from its Google Play Store without giving the company the option to implement moderation measures. This meant Parler was no longer available for download on Android devices, but users who had downloaded the app previously could still use it.
- Saturday, January 9: Apple informs Parler that it has failed to take “adequate measures to address the proliferation” of “threats to people’s safety” after the company gave Parler 24 hours notice to do so. Apple removes Parler from the App Store. But as with Parler for Android, anyone who previously downloaded the app could still use it on their iPhones.
- Sunday, January 10: This is where Amazon comes in. On Sunday, Amazon announced its Amazon Web Services would boot Parler from its servers at 11:59 p.m, saying the app “poses a very real risk to public safety.” By yanking Parler’s hosting, Amazon effectively put the final nail in Parler’s coffin.
As of today, Monday, January 11, Parler’s app and website are down. They should both remain down unless Parler can find another company willing to host it.
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