Parler has been in the news and on headlines recently with its current suspension from the Apple Store and Amazon Web Services. Tech giants have censored the app due to users’ involvement in the capital protests, though protestors used multiple social media platforms to plan the storming of the US capital. With the ever-increasing surveillance and censorship of tech giants, more and more people are either turning off social media or looking for new ways to express themselves.
What is Parler?
Parler is a relatively new social media platform, which markets itself as being pro-free speech and an alternative to more mainstream social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Parler has generally lower restrictions on users’ content than other social media platforms, which other social media platforms will oftentimes ban people for posting what they consider conservative or far-right views. People may post with a wider range of viewpoints. In this sense, Parler is less biased than its counterparts.
History and Media Censorship
Parler was founded in August 2018 by John Matze Jr. and Jared Thompson in Henderson, Nevada. The site gets its name from the French word “parler” meaning “to speak”. By May 2019, Parler grew to around 100,000 users, around 40,000 of which were brought by Candace Owens, a conservative activist. The site attracted Republican personalities and those who had been banned from other social media platforms. Matze focused his marketing efforts on conservatives, due to the high percentage joining the service. This labeled the app conservative, though it was originally intended to be and still can be bipartisan.
Supporters of the Saudi Arabian Prince Mohammed bin Salman went by the thousands to Parler, after being banned from Twitter. Twitter labeled supporters of the Saudi government “inauthentic” and an “electronic army” pushing the Saudi Arabian government’s agenda. Twitter also flagged posts by Trump about mail-in ballots as “potentially misleading” and posts about the George Floyd protests as “glorifying violence”. English media personality Katie Hopkins was permanently suspended from Twitter after violating their policies on “hateful conduct”, and she later joined Parler. In response, thirteen members of Parliament joined, and some British conservative activists endorsed the site over Twitter. Because Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter, Parler became the top downloaded app on the Apple store on January 8.
A number of major political figures have joined Parler, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R), Ohio Representative Jim Jordan (R), New York Representative Elise Stefanik (R), and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley. Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Brazil, joined Parler, and a number of people from Brazil joined Parler.
Parler had become somewhat of a safe haven for people of right and far right views to express themselves. That is, before it was taken down.
Potential Resurrection
Though the app has been taken down on the Google Play Store and the Apple Store, there is still hope for an online presence. After Amazon suspended Parler from its Web Services, Parler looked for a new service provider. Parler was denied by both major and minor cloud service providers. Parler registered its domain with Epik, which is known for allowing services to far-right web pages. The site was hosted by the Russian cloud services company DDos-Guard. So far, there is only a static page that says that it will come back, reaffirms its message, and has a link to a Fox interview with John Matze. Matze claims that their “return is inevitable due to hard work and persistence against all odds.” He also claims that “not one Parler employee has quit”. Matze also promised to have Parler back online by the end of the month.
Matze saw the website registration with Epik as a key signifier that Parler’s return is realistic. The website now also hits a working server, and a single piece of information is returned. Matze also saw it as a “big milestone” to be able to post updates on Parler and that he would “try to get an update out every day” so “people can stay up to date with the site”.With the site being mired in controversy, a person cannot google “Parler” and find the site. Instead, parler.com must be directly typed into the search bar at the top of the browsing window.
Parler Social Media App Potential
With the ever-increasing censorship on social media and fact-checking, Parler has the potential to become a major app. Its popularity on the Apple store after Trump’s Twitter ban and its listing as a top free app on Google Play prove this. Though many users are conservative, Parler is willing to host people of any view on its website- including conspiracy theorists and supporters of foreign governments. The key element is simply getting the website back online.
Written by: Miranda Smith
January 6, 2021 was a dark day that will go down history books. A day that began as peaceful for many people who attended President Trump’s “Save America” ended when a group of people breached the capitol building during the final Electoral count. One person was killed by Capitol police, Ashley Babbit, she was a Veteran. Three others passed away during the event due to “medical emergencies.” The last time a large-scale breach occurred was in 1814 when British burned the capitol building. How did a day that started off with “a feeling camaraderie” according to an eye witness turn so tragic?
Capital Breached Timeline
Both sides of the media have erupted with information about when things happened. President Trump began speaking around noon and spoke for over an hour. There has been media reporting as early as 1:15 PM EST that a group began to fight with security. This seems a little off because the walk from where Trump spoke to the capitol is around 30-45 minutes on a good day according to Google maps and an eyewitness account. Did these people not finish listening to Trump speak or does the media have the timeline wrong? Associated Press says the breach occurred at 2:30 EST. This seems like a more realistic timeline given that our witness said as late as 2 PM things seemed very calm with “a family-like” atmosphere around the capitol.
Shortly after 2 PM EST the protestors made their way into the various chambers of the capitol building. Right before 3 PM EST Michael Waltz told Fox News the house floor had been evacuated due to “protesters penetrating the capitol and tear gas had been deployed” shortly after, a curfew was announced for 6 PM to 6 AM EST.
Many members of congress were evacuated. During Stinchfield on Newsmax, Texas Republican Pat Fallon said he and a few other members stayed back and used hand sanitizer dispensers as clubs attempting to help security and hold back the people who were breaking windows. Why did Capitol police seem to just let people in, in videos that have surfaced on Newsmax during an interview with the Founder of “Baby Lives Matter,” Taylor Hansen?
This would not be the first instance of lax security in the Capitol. In 1954 a group of four Puerto Rican Nationalists were able to bring their handguns past security in the visitors’ gallery. They wounded five congress members. Those people were angry the U.S. had control of Puerto Rico. Who were the people that stormed the Capitol on January 6? What were they angry about?
Capital Breached Theories
The results of the election have caused widespread anger amongst Trump supporters. Were these Trump supporters lashing out in anger; Disgruntled voters who felt the election and the process that makes us America was cheated and stolen from Trump? The president and his daughter took to twitter pleading for peace. The president’s tweets and a video Twitter later took down. The president has been currently locked out of his accounts by Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Trump stands for law and order so it seems a little odd that his followers, even disgruntled, would do something that even conservative outlets are calling “an act of terrorism.”
This brings us to our second theory, Antifa. Republican Mo Brooks of Alabama, in an interview for Newsmax said that intelligence had come in before these events that Antifa was going to dress as Trump supporters and come to the rally to cause trouble. Could this have been one last attempt to portray Trump and his followers as evil?
Urging Peace
As the story progresses different theories of who or why will come to light as investigations continue. The only thing we can know for sure right now is the President and the Republican urges PEACE. Washington wants a peaceful transfer of power. The actions of that small group of people does not reflect what Trump or any of the Republican party stands for in any way, shape, or form. We value the constitution, law and order, and getting things done in congress in an honest and fair way.
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