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Apple signals return of right-wing 'free speech' app Parler

Parler social media users double in week after election
Posted at 7:12 PM, Apr 19, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-19 19:12:22-04

Apple said it has an agreement to reinstate Parler, the social network popular with supporters of former President Donald Trump it kicked off its app store in January over ties to the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol.

In a letter to two Republican lawmakers in Washington, Apple said it has been in “substantial conversations" with Parler over how it plans to moderate content on its site and that a Parler proposal for revising its app.

On Monday, Congressman Ken Buck tweeted that they received a response and "Parler will be reinstated on the App Store. Huge win for free speech.”

Parler’s mobile app was removed from Apple's App Store and Google Play days after the riot at the U.S. Capitol. At the time, the tech giants cited the riots and the app’s refusal to crack down on misinformation.

Before its removal from the app store, Parler was a hotbed of hate speech, Nazi imagery, and conspiracy theories.

According to The Associated Press, Apple says the app should be available immediately following proposed changes Parler has agreed to.

Apple declined to comment beyond the letter.