Parler CEO Says Social Media App May Never Return Online
A general view of the the Parler app icon displayed on an iPhone on January 9, 2021 in London, England. The Parler App popular with right-wing supporters has been suspended from Google's Play store over continued postings by users that incite violence. US President Donald Trump was suspended indefinitely from Twitter after tweets he made encouraged his supporters to break into the Capitol building and five people died in the ensuing violence. (Photo by Hollie Adams/Getty Images

Parler CEO John Matze said that the social media platform might never return online after being cut off by major service providers following the accusations that the app failed to remove violent content.

Matze told Reuters that he does not know when or if it will return online again. Parler said in a legal filing that it has more than 12 million users, Fox News reported.

Matze noted that the social media app was talking to more than one cloud computing service. But he refused to disclose names, stating the likelihood of harassment for the companies involved.

John Matze said the best thing for Parler would be if it could get back on Amazon.

According to a Reuters report, Amazon cut off the social media platform from its servers last weekend for failing to moderate violent content effectively. Google and Apple have also removed Parler from their app stores.

Parler claims itself as a free-speech space and is favored by President Donald Trump's supporters. Matze said that Parler's relationship with Amazon appeared to be severed overnight without warning.

Amazon disputes these observations in a legal filing. Amazon has invited Parler to join an initiative to connect it with potential investors, according to Matze. This was independently confirmed by a source who described the offer as a standard for startup customers.

The source added that Amazon later ended the program and did not secure funding for Parler. John Matze said that the company did not need more funding at the time.

Parler Issues

Apple and Google removed Parler on Jan. 9 on its respective App Store and Android Marketplace. According to a Quartz report, this action was prompted by hopes to prevent new users from downloading the app.

Amazon Web Services then dropped Parler as a client the next day. This severed the platform's connection to the internet.

John Matze earlier said that the social media app would likely be down longer than expected, adding that it is not due to software restrictions as they have their own software and everyone's data ready to go.

"Rather it's that Amazon's, Google's and Apple's statements to the press about dropping our access has caused most of our other vendors to drop their support for us as well," said Matze as reported by CNBC.

Matze added that most people with enough servers to host the social media platform had shut their doors to them. He earlier said that they would update everyone and the press when they are back online.

Amazon reportedly flagged 98 examples of Parler posts inciting and encouraging violence. Also, there were screenshots of references to firing squads and bringing weapons to the upcoming presidential inauguration.

John Matze wrote late Saturday that Parler is the world's last hope for free speech and free information, adding that the Big Tech wanted to keep their monopoly over speech.

In reply, the Amazon Web Services spokesperson said that they respect Parler's right to determine for itself, but it is clear that there is significant content on the platform that encourages and incites violence against others.