By Mario Lotmore | Lynnwood Times Staff
February 15, 2021 – In a press release today, free speech social media app, Parler, announced it has resumed its online services. However, it may take a couple of days for the internet’s Domain Name System (DNS) to recognize that Parler is back online, resulting in users having issues accessing Parler from different regions of the country.
“When Parler was taken offline in January by those who desire to silence tens of millions of Americans, our team came together, determined to keep our promise to our highly engaged community that we would return stronger than ever,” said Mark Meckler, Interim CEO at Parler. “We’re thrilled to welcome everyone back.”
Mark Meckler is serving as interim CEO of Parler after its previous CEO, John Matze, was fired earlier this month by Parler’s Board of Directors. The press release stated that its executive committee will conduct a “thorough search” for a permanent CEO.
According to a WHOIS search, Parler’s domain is registered with Epik Inc., a webhosting company headquartered in Sammamish, WA, on January 11, 2021. According to Registrar Owl, as of January 2021, Epik is the 20th largest domain registrar in the United States – GoDaddy is number 1.
On January 11, Amazon dropped it’s web hosting services to Parler. The free speech social media app founded in 2018, is an alternative to Twitter. Before being deplatformed by Amazon, the company had over 10 million users of which 4 million are active users.
In January, Parler sued Amazon for dropping it’s web hosting services, but a federal judge ruled that Amazon could not be forced to restore service.
On January 9, Apple removed Parler from its App Store stating, “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. Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people’s safety. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues.”
Just a day earlier, Google removed Parler from its Play Store because it had not done enough to “implement robust moderation for egregious content.”
“Parler is being run by an experienced team and is here to stay,” said Meckler in a statement. “We will thrive as the premier social media platform dedicated to free speech, privacy and civil dialogue.”
Below is the press release from Parler
Henderson, NV, February 15, 2021 – Parler, the world’s #1 free speech social media platform with over 20 million users, is announcing its official relaunch today, built on sustainable, independent technology and not reliant on so-called “Big Tech” for its operations. Parler’s relaunch—open to Americans of all viewpoints—is available immediately.
“Parler was built to offer a social media platform that protects free speech and values privacy and civil discourse. When Parler was taken offline in January by those who desire to silence tens of millions of Americans, our team came together, determined to keep our promise to our highly engaged community that we would return stronger than ever. We’re thrilled to welcome everyone back,” said Mark Meckler, Interim CEO at Parler. “Parler is being run by an experienced team and is here to stay. We will thrive as the premier social media platform dedicated to free speech, privacy and civil dialogue.”
Parler Facts
- Parler was first launched in August of 2018 and was taken offline by AWS on Jan. 10, 2021. Parler relaunched on Feb. 15, 2021.
- Parler’s new platform is built on robust, sustainable, independent technology.
- Parler’s launch is intended to bring it back online for its current users only in the first week, with new users being able to sign up starting the following week.
- Parler’s Executive Committee is conducting a thorough search for a permanent CEO to lead Parler as it continues to grow and expand its reach and impact.
- Mark Meckler is the interim CEO of Parler and Amy Peikoff is the Chief Policy Officer of Parler.
Author: Mario Lotmore
