Apple and Google are facing new pressure to deplete Parler, a social network founded as a less moderate and more conservative alternative to Facebook and Twitter. The group of activists Sleeping Giants asked both companies to ban Parler from their app stores in response to posts calling for violence against elected officials.
As evidence, the group posted images of messages from Parler asking Vice President Mike Pence to face a firing squad and encouraging the “American Patriots” to return to the capital on January 19 “carrying our weapons”.
The group points out that both Google and Apple have clear rules against violent threats and content moderation. Apple’s App Store says that apps should have “a method for filtering objectionable material against posting” and “a mechanism for reporting offensive content”. The Google Play Store blocks applications that “depict or facilitate gratuitous violence or other dangerous activities” and that “do not allow applications that contain or facilitate threats, harassment or intimidation”.
Neither Apple nor Google responded to requests for comment from The Verge. Parler also did not respond to a request for comment.
Parler saw his numbers soar after Twitter and Facebook reinforced their moderation, with conservative protesters finding a home among like-minded users. In an interview on Thursday with Kara Swisher at To swing In the podcast, Parler CEO John Matze said that any posts on the website indicating that Wednesday’s disturbances were “organized illegally and against the law” would have been removed. “But I don’t feel responsible for any of this and neither should the platform, considering that we are a neutral square that just complies with the law,” he said.
The “Stop the Steal” campaign challenging the loss of President Trump has gained particular momentum among Parler users, as well as other conspiracy theories surrounding the election that have been debunked elsewhere. In the wake of the attack on the Capitol, researchers circulated dozens of posts on Parler that encourage violence leading to the attack on the Capitol. “Chloroform. Silencers. SHARPEN your knives and keep walking”, says one, “take the ties with you, look at them like ninjas and tie your hands and feet”, says another, to which someone replied: “around your neck, I can’t get out of time, they die. ”
On Thursday night, the site had posts from Trump supporters questioning whether his concession speech it was a deepfake.
There are precedents for removing an application to host violent content. After a sniper killed eleven people in a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, PayPal banned the social network Gab from its platform when it was revealed that suspect Robert Bowers had posted anti-Semitic speeches at Gab before the shooting. Apple rejected Gab’s request to appear on its App Store in 2016, and Twitter removed Gab’s access to its API. Google removed the app from the Google Play Store in 2017 for violating its hate speech policy.
Because Apple and Google control the largest smartphone operating systems, companies have immense power over the distribution of mobile applications. The inability to send your app to the two largest app stores has greatly reduced Gab’s reach, forcing users to find alternative solutions for using it on mobile sites. Gab’s desktop site, however, appears to be alive and well, with a new post from President Trump extolling the “great American patriots who voted for me” leading the site’s “hot” posts on Friday morning.
Both Twitter and Facebook have implemented temporary bans on President Trump’s accounts, treating recent statements as likely to provoke violence. Platforms previously adopted strict policies against electoral and electoral misinformation during the campaign.
In a post on Parler on Thursday, Matze criticized Facebook and Twitter for their actions against the president’s posts. “Of course, Facebook and Twitter believe that the ends justify the means. They believe that the American people are weak. They insult our founding fathers, suggesting Zuckerburg [sic] and Dorsey knows what’s best for us, ”he wrote. “Parler is not an arbiter of the truth. We believe in you. We believe that you are wise enough to decide for yourself and we trust that, given access to all information, we can govern on our own. “