- Parler relaunched with a Tea Party Patriots cofounder at the top.
- The social media platform was taken down by Amazon Web Services in January.
- The favorite, on the far right, was considered a planning center for Capitol insurrectionists.
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Parler, the far-right favorite social media platform, announced on Monday that it was online again after being abandoned by an Amazon hosting service on January 11.
The site became a haven for pro-Trump extremists before and during the Capitol insurrection. Amazon Web Services (AWS) found that “it represents a very real risk to public security”.
On Monday, the company announced that the site was up and running with a Tea Party co-founder serving as interim CEO. Mark Meckler, a lawyer, political activist and founder of the Tea Party Patriots, replaced former CEO and co-founder John Matze, who was fired by the company’s board earlier this month.
Read more: How Silicon Valley banned Donald Trump in 48 hours
In a statement on Monday, Meckler said, “Parler was built to offer a social media platform that protects freedom of expression and values privacy and civil discourse,” highlighting the platform’s focus on freedom of expression. “Parler is run by an experienced team and is here to stay. We will succeed as the leading social media platform dedicated to freedom of expression, privacy and civil dialogue,” said the statement.
—Tyler Adkisson (@tyadkisson) February 15, 2021
According to publicly available WHOIS data, the domain is registered with Epik, which also hosts Gab, another far-right social media platform.
A spokesman did not immediately return Insider’s request for comment.
Parler is largely funded by Rebekah Mercer, a conservative mega-donor whose family was among the most influential supporters of then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016. Dan Bongino, a conservative activist, also said he is co-owner.
The company was investigated after the Capitol insurrection, when evidence emerged that protesters had used Parler and other platforms to coordinate the attack.
Apple and Google removed Parler from their app stores shortly after the insurrection, saying they continued to allow content that threatened to increase violence, violating their policies. Amazon then removed Parler’s access to its web hosting services, and other technology companies refused to do business with him, effectively taking the platform offline.
Parler will bring back his current users immediately during the first week of the relaunch and intends to allow new users to sign up the following week, the statement said.