There is a lot of controversy surrounding Parler, the conservative social media platform that parent company Parlement Technologies said is working on “a definitive purchase agreement” with West.
CNN reports that Parler has become a favorite among conservatives and has been banned by big tech companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon.
Founded in 2018, the alternative social network has been surging in popularity lately, particularly after the election of Joe Biden on November 8. The platform has also been accused of failing to rein in “hate-filled, violent speech.”
It was founded by Rebekah Mercer — a prominent conservative donor, daughter of a hedge fund manager, and the co-founder of a former political data-analysis firm Cambridge Analytica — along with John Matze and Jared Thomson. The company’s current CEO is George Farmer, who is married to recent Ye associate Candace Owens.
The app has been heavily used among Donald Trump supporters and has positioned itself as the epicenter of “unbiased social media.” There have also been many conservative politicians and media personalities that have become active on Parler, such as Fox News host Sean Hannity, radio personality, and Senator Ted Cruz.
After the presidential election and the subsequent attack on Capitol Hill in 2021, many media companies began cracking down on misinformation, leading many prominent conservatives to claim they were being censored and calling it an attack on free speech.
Parler has been linked to members of anti-government extremists like adherents to the QAnon conspiracy theory and white supremacist groups like the Proud Boys, per an ADL report, as well as the Capitol Hill insurrection.
