Apple and Google suspend Parler from their app stores
Apple suspended Parler from its App Store Saturday after the “unbiased social media” app surged to the No. 1 spot in the free apps section earlier in the day.
“We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement to FOX Business.
The App Reviews Board sent a letter to Parler executives explaining that their app would be “removed from the App Store until we receive an update that is compliant with the App Store Review Guidelines and you have demonstrated your ability to effectively moderate and filter the dangerous and harmful content on your service.”
Google previously suspended Parler from its app store Friday.
Sean Davis, co-founder of conservative outlet The Federalist, tweeted Friday that Apple was asking Parler to engage in “censorship policies” or face de-listing, citing two people familiar with the situation.
Apple and Google’s suspension of Parler comes after Twitter’s Friday decision to ban President Trump’s personal account after a mob of his loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol, resulting in bloodshed. The tech company accused Trump of inciting the violence.
Data analytics company App Figures estimated that on Saturday, Parler downloads would surpass 1.5 million on the App Store, driven in large part by pro-Trump conservatives leaving Twitter in protest.
On Friday, App FIgures estimated that “downloads grew to more than 340,000, up from about 12,000 in the prior week” based on company data. The total number of downloads “between Wednesday and Friday are estimated to have added more than 450,000 new downloads.”
Parler’s “mission is to create a social platform in the spirit of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” according to its Community Guidelines, which states that the platform does not allow “child sexual abuse material, content posted by or on behalf of terrorist organizations [and] intellectual property theft.”
The website may also flag material promoting “criminal solicitation, fraud and nuisance,” even if it is not illegal.
