Parler, the social media site popular with Donald Trump supporters that was banned on Apple, Google and Amazon platforms, has returned to the Internet.
Although the social media site has not regained full operability, there are now two messages in its URL.
“Now it seems like the right time to remind all of you – lovers and haters – why we started this platform. We believe that privacy is fundamental and freedom of expression essential, especially on social networks. Our goal has always been to provide a non-partisan public square where individuals can enjoy and exercise their rights for both, ”says a statement on Parler’s website.
“We will resolve any challenge before us and plan to get them back soon. We will not let civil discourse perish! ”
The second is a more succinct post by CEO John Matze on January 16: “Hello, world, is this connected?”
When Parler was banned from using Amazon Web Services to host his website, he went offline, as the company no longer had access to servers that could store the actual content posted on the platform. Since then, Parler has been looking for new ways to connect to the Internet, while being banned from many of the leading providers of web hosting and other Internet services.
The Parler domain appears to have been registered with Epik, a company that allows websites to register their domain names, as well as a host of other services designed to power websites. Epik also supported not only Parler, but also other social media sites, such as Gab and 8Chan.
However, Epik told CNN that he does not provide Parler’s web hosting. It is currently unclear which company is providing server support for Parler.
“With regard to a future relationship between Epik and Parler, it is important to note that our conversations so far have focused on policy improvements, rather than specific resources for hosting and service provision,” said Epik in a statement at 14 of January.
“Since Parler has the ability to purchase direct servers almost anywhere in the world, the most critical elements of any online devolution must first be focused on the significant responsibility they carry for self-policing, better governance and more capable policy enforcement.”
According to an official familiar with the company’s attempts to find new hosting services after being banned from Amazon, the social media site is discussing an agreement yet to be announced with Cloudrovia, another provider of website tools.
A “more than six-digit” deal that has been discussed for “almost a week” is expected to be announced, with Cloudrovia “massively expanding the capabilities of the server,” said the official.
A screen capture of an email shared with The Independent, with the subject line “Cloudrovia.com will host” and sent to an email address Parler.com, apparently describes the server resources needed to host the site.
However, the change was seen as controversial within the company. “Everything is very dark [and] quiet, ”they said, adding that employees said they would leave the company if Cloudrovia announces the deal, feeling“ hesitant and confused ”.
Other companies sent messages to Cloudrovia saying they would withdraw their customer if the company hosted Parler, including the furniture brand Savs and the video call platform Pijin.
“Yes. We are withdrawing our use of all Cloudrovia services. They are already supporting Parler,” said a spokesman for Pijin. The Independent via email.
“Parler has been directly involved in promoting advertising. They instigated violence, destruction of government property and murder. They are incubating the plot of terrorist attacks. It is not something that will support. We will no longer use Cloudrovia and its services. ”
A spokesman for Savs said the company “does not tolerate any hate speech that circulates in Parler.”
“A partner company of ours that also works with Cloudrovia informed us of the partnership with Parler”, they continued. “We read Cloudrovia’s statements on freedom of expression and we will not be working with a company that opens its doors to Parler.”
According to the official, Cloudrovia’s CEO issued an internal statement stating that he had “offered our services to Parler indefinitely” and that the company has been in communication with the team since the ban came into effect.
The CEO also apparently said that employees should remember the “great efforts” made to “preserve freedom of expression”.
In a public blog post shared on January 15, the founder of Cloudrovia said that he does not support “violence, anti-government riots or extremism in any way”, but that “our traditional society has seen the horrific effects of oppression of freedom of expression from afar right, but it seems to accept the same oppression as the extreme left. ”
“You cannot support the current US leader. However, if you respect democracy, you will have considered that 75 million Americans [sic] voted for him for power. The recent bans on social media signal a dangerous threat to our democracy, ”continues the statement.
“We are witnessing the silence of a politician elected by non-elected businessmen. Taking out someone [sic] voice, whether from your neighbor or the owner of the local store, should concern us all. The fact that this voice belongs to the elected leader of the free world shows the frightening power of technology. ”
The statement continues to criticize Apple and Google for creating a platform for Parler – claiming that the app was launched with “’uncensored freedom of speech’ as a key feature” – before removing it after events on Capitol Hill.
Google said it suspended Parler “due to this continuing and urgent threat to public security”.
In an email to Parler executives, Apple wrote: “We have received numerous complaints about objectionable content on its Parler service, allegations that the Parler app was used to plan, coordinate and facilitate illegal activities” in Washington DC.
Amazon removed even more Parler, removing it from Amazon Web Services. Amazon told Parler that it saw “a steady increase in this violent content on its website, which violates our terms.”
“AWS ‘decision to effectively close Parler’s account is apparently motivated by political animosity,” says the suit.
“There is no merit to these claims. AWS provides technology and services to customers across the political spectrum and we respect Parler’s right to determine for himself what content it will allow, ”said an Amazon spokesman in a statement.
“However, it is clear that there is significant content in Parler that encourages and incites violence against others, and that Parler cannot or does not want to promptly identify and remove that content, which is a violation of our terms of service. We conveyed our concerns to Parler over the course of several weeks, and during that time, we saw a significant increase in this type of dangerous content, not a decrease, which led to the suspension of his services on Sunday night. ”
In addition, Parler encourages users to hand over more identifying information than Facebook or Twitter, including their driver’s license, to receive a “real verified person” badge, similar to Twitter’s blue tick.
“[Law enforcement] you can simply subpoena AWS as soon as people start digging through these things. remember: these people were stupid enough to give Parler pictures of their identities, ”said a hacker who was examining the data.
Neither Parler nor Cloudrovia responded to repeated requests for comment when contacted by The Independent.