Apple and Google Play withdraw Parler, used by right-wing extremists
Written on: January 10, 2021
Google and Apple pulled the Parler app from their online store for allowing "outrageous content" that could incite violence as seen this week at the US Capitol.
The Parler social network has become a haven for far-right personalities who claim to have been censored by other platforms.
"We are aware of the continued posts on the Parler app that seek to incite ongoing violence in the United States," Google said.
"To distribute an app on Google Play, we require that the apps implement a robust control against scandalous content," added the company, referring to its mobile application store for devices with the Android operating system.
While Apple noted that "we have always supported the representation of various points of view in the app store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activities."
“Parler has failed to take adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people's safety. We have suspended Parler from the app store until these problems are resolved, "added an Apple representative in a statement.
Followers of President Donald Trump and his electoral fraud thesis in the US presidential elections have migrated to alternative social networks that do not filter his unfounded statements.
That shift has favored some platforms like Parler, Newsmax, and Rumble, which have rejected the approach of giants like Facebook and Twitter to tagging and limiting the scope of conspiracy theories.
Facebook and Twitter suspended Trump's accounts on Friday citing fears of further incitement to violence such as those seen at the headquarters of the US Congress in Washington on Wednesday.
"In light of the ongoing urgent public safety threat, we are suspending the app from the Play Store until it addresses these issues," Google said of Parler.
Sites like Parler have also attracted Republican lawmakers, as well as the Trump campaign.
Parler and other similar sites have been the scene of racist and anti-Semitic statements and attract groups that have been banned from other platforms for posting hateful messages or promoting violence.
