Kanye West acquires Parler app after censorship from Twitter, Instagram
What do you do when Twitter locks you out? You might just wait it out. But not Ye. The rapper-producer, who was formerly known as Kanye West, has decided to buy Parler, a social media platform that portrays itself as a free speech alternative to Twitter. Parler made the announcement saying it has reached an agreement in principle with Ye.
Why does this story matter?
The Ye-Parler deal could be what both have been waiting for. For Parler, it gets one of the most recognizable faces, and for Ye, he can be on a platform that won't cancel him. This might lead to an influx of new users to Parler. The app might even fulfill its dream of being an actual alternative to Twitter.
The acquisition will be closed later this year
Parler's acquisition by Ye is expected to be closed later this year. The news comes a week after the rapper was locked out of Instagram and Twitter. The acquisition was announced by the company through a press release. Ye said, "In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves."
Ye was 'canceled' by JP Morgan Chase
Ye was locked out of Instagram and Twitter for his anti-Semitic posts. The Yeezy brand's head faced a lot of backlash for his views. Following his posts, JP Morgan Chase cut ties with the rapper. Reacting to this, he said, "I feel happy to have crossed the line of that idea so we can speak openly about things like getting canceled by a bank."
Parler wants to create an 'uncancelable ecosystem' with Ye
Parler has been a favorite among American conservatives for a while. The company said, "the proposed acquisition will assure Parler a future role in creating an uncancelable ecosystem where all voices are welcome." George Farmer, the company's CEO said, "Ye is making a groundbreaking move into the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again."
Parler faced backlash for role in Capitol riots
Parler ran into trouble in 2021 over the role it played in the riots at the Capitol building. The site was launched in 2018 by John Matze and Rebeca Mercer. Matze was ousted following the riots. The app was also removed from Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store. Amazon Web Service too blacklisted the app rendering it unopenable.
Parler has its own cloud infrastructure
The agreement between Ye and Parler also includes technical support for the app from its parent company Parlement, the use of Parlement's cloud service, and its data center infrastructure. Parlement Technologies was created by the company to reduce its dependence on other firms for cloud infrastructure. At that time, the company said, "the future is uncancelable.'
Is Parler as 'free' as it claims to be?
Parler bills itself as a platform where speech is as free as it could be. However, that's not the case. It was forced to add content moderation to be admitted back into the App Store in May 2021. We can assume that the app agreed to similar terms before it was readmitted to Play Store in September 2022.
