Google Suspends Parler from App Store, Warned by Apple

Google has suspended Parler from its app store on Friday over continued postings that seek “to incite ongoing violence in the U.S.” The company cited an “ongoing and urgent public safety threat” and said Parler won’t be reinstated until the issues are addressed.

Apple has issued Parler a similar warning and given it 24 hours to fix things.

Many social media companies are working to crack down on hate speech after the riot Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.

Twitter banned President Donald Trump's account Friday, citing "the risk of further incitement of violence" following the deadly insurrection at the Capitol on Wednesday. He encouraged supporters during a speech to march to the building as Congress met to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win. But Twitter said that two tweets by Trump Friday, and how his supporters were reacting to them, were the final straw. Facebook has suspended Trump at least until his term ends Jan. 20.

Apple warned to ban Parler from its store if it doesn't come up with a moderation plan over complaints that it was used to coordinate the storming of the Capitol. It remained available on the App Store Friday evening.

The social platform used heavily by extremist conservatives also appeared to be down Friday. Newly elected U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia tweeted a screenshot saying Parler isn’t working. The Republican is aligned with the QAnon conspiracy group backing Trump and has expressed racist views online before.

Now that Trump has been kicked off favorite pulpit Twitter, he may resort to Parler. The 2-year-old small alternative to Twitter has become increasingly popular among the president’s most ardent supporters. Many have used it to spread falsehoods and hateful comments.

Fox News' Sean Hannity said Thursday during a conversation with radio host Dan Bongino, an investor in Parler, that Trump has an account, which Bongino didn't deny.

Posts were seen on Parler mentioning the crowds in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday and saying people could return with weapons before Inauguration Day and outnumber police.

If mainstream platforms drive discussion about violence and social protest to more marginal sites, University of Buffalo professor Monica Stephens said, "it is still going to happen; it is just going to happen where it isn’t as read."

Stephens said it made sense for Facebook and Twitter to try lighter forms of curbing misinformation in the months leading up to the election. “They’re getting flak from both sides of the political aisle,” she said.

On Friday, Twitter also permanently banned two Trump loyalists — former national security adviser Michael Flynn and attorney Sidney Powell — as part of a broader purge of accounts promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory.

“Given the renewed potential for violence surrounding this type of behavior in the coming days, we will permanently suspend accounts that are solely dedicated to sharing QAnon content,” Twitter said in an emailed statement.

Dozens of QAnon social media accounts were hyping up Trump's Jan. 6 rally in the heart of Washington, expressing hope that it could lead to the overturn of the election results.

January 09, 2021