Google Removes Parler From Google Play Store
- by Nick Cohen
- in Industry
- — Jan 11, 2021
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 to The Hill newspaper.
Apple had given the service 24 hours to submit a detailed moderation plan, pointing to participants' using the service to coordinate Wednesday's siege of the US Capitol.
Amazon is booting social media platform Parler off its web hosting service Amazon Web Services (AWS), which will knock the platform offline on Sunday until it can find a new host.
Accusing Amazon of trying to "completely remove free speech of the internet, Parler CEO John Matze said the app could be unavailable for up to a week as we "rebuild from scratch". Its parent company Parler Inc. markets the app as a "free speech" platform and an unbiased alternative to mainstream social networks.
"All developers agree to these terms and we have reminded Parler of this clear policy in recent months", said a Google spokesperson in part.
Mounting criticism over the social media app Parler has resulted in tech companies threatening to remove, or removing the app outright, from app stores in the United States.
A day after Twitter on Friday permanently suspended the president's main account, Parler remained the application most downloaded in the USA from Apple's app store.
Google delisted the app from its Google Play store Friday evening, explaining that the company requires all apps to "implement robust moderation for egregious content". Here's the full extract of the letter as obtained by BuzzFeed News. Wu also theorized that Parler's new hosting service would "almost certainly have poorer cybersecurity than Amazon", and since "the app itself takes nearly no measures with your privacy...all of Parler are going to be sitting ducks for fraud, identity theft and stolen info".
Parler started in 2018 and was initially a home for the extreme right, but now it attracts more traditional conservative voices including Republican lawmakers.
Apple removed the app on Saturday saying it had failed to crack down on threats of violence on the service and that it had received complaints that last week's assault on the US Capitol building had been partly planned on the app.
The information shared by Bongino earlier today aligns with statements from John Matze, the CEO of Parler.
Google and Apple say they are taking necessary action to ensure violent rhetoric is not promoted on their platforms.
It said it was removing the app "until they resolve these issues".
Users can still access Parler through its website and the app can still be installed on Android by sideloading the APK, but the removal of the app from the Play Store - and soon, the Apple App Store - will significantly limit its reach.
