Kanye is to buy Parler, a controversial free speech app.
Parler is one of the so-called free-speech alternative apps, rivaling Twitter. Other similar apps include Gettr, Gab, and Truth Social.
The app was downloaded mostly by people who disliked the free-speech constraints on Facebook and Twitter.
The reaction to purchasing Parler came after Ye’s recent social media tirades in the beginning of October. It ended up with Ye posting posts considered anti-Semitic by most social media users. Thus, his Twitter and Instagram accounts were locked out.
Parler is popular among U.S conservatives and has raised around $56 million. The deal is expected to be closed around the fourth quarter of 2022, and values haven’t been disclosed.
Parler having fewer content rules than its contemporaries, has gotten it in hot water with tech giants.
For example, after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S Capitol by former Trump supporters, the app was taken off Apple Inc. and Google’s stores, accusing its parent company of not taking measures to prevent posts from inciting violence.
Amazon also temporarily stopped hosting the platform, taking it offline.
Some believe that Candace Owens, wife of Parler CEO George Farmer, persuaded Kanye to purchase the app. She might have wanted to cash out of Parler and convinced Ye to purchase the app.
Owens is an American conservative, author, political commentator and talk show host, notorious for being a pro-Trump activist as a black woman and criticizing Black Lives Matter and the Democratic Party.
It shouldn’t be surprise to anyone that Owens was behind the scenes in Parler’s current management. She’s promoted many conspiracy theories through social media, content that’s usually found disseminated through Parler.
Many conservative-leaning users of Twitter left the app upon feeling persecuted or harassed for their viewpoints and found Parler to be more welcoming due to the relative lack of liberal people when compared to conservatives.
Due to Parler’s lack of a real moderation system, such as the ones used by Twitter or Facebook, it relies mostly on self-policing.
This has backfired in many ways beyond the Capitol riots, as there has been a lot of inappropriate and illegal content shared on the app.
What are the consequences of Kanye purchasing Parler?
The app has agreed to sell fully to Kanye West, but it’ll still receive technical support from Parliament Technologies, including access to its private cloud services and infrastructure.
In other words, Ye bought the name but doesn’t own the platform, per se.
