Parler’s website is ONLINE as CEO ‘who went into hiding because of death threats’ sends message to ‘lovers and haters’
PARLER’S website was back online on Saturday – with its boss sending a pointed message to “lovers and haters.”
CEO John Matze has seemingly emerged from hiding after receiving death threats following the deadly US Capitol riot, asking: “Hello world, is this thing on?”
After conducting a domain search, CNN says that after being kicked off Amazon, Apple, and Google, Parler has found a new online hosting platform, Epik.
“Epik is a hosting platform that supports Gab, 8chan and other services often used by members of the far-right,” adds the broadcaster.
On Parler.com, Matze wrote on Saturday: “Hello world, is this thing on?
“Now seems like the right time to remind you all — both lovers and haters — why we started this platform.
“We believe privacy is paramount and free speech essential, especially on social media.
“Our aim has always been to provide a nonpartisan public square where individuals can enjoy and exercise their rights to both.
“We will resolve any challenge before us and plan to welcome all of you back soon. We will not let civil discourse perish!”
We believe privacy is paramount and free speech essential.
John Matze, Parler CEO
His comments come a day after it was revealed that court documents allege that Matze went into hiding due to the backlash over “death threats” after the app was pulled from Amazon, Google, and Apple.
The documents, obtained by Fox News, said that Matze and his family were being targeted by hackers who posted his address online and had threatened to show up at his home.
Parler filed a lawsuit against Amazon after the company’s cloud hosting service dropped the app.
In response, Amazon said Parler had “no legal basis” to sue, and said its employees were also facing threats and harassment.
After critics accused it of becoming a ‘haven’ for far-right extremists and conspiracy theorists, Parler was booted off the internet over ties to the January 6 siege on the US Capitol in Washington D.C.
Business Insider reported that Parler had now “registered its domain with Epik, a company known for hosting other far-right websites including Gab”.
Domain registrar Epik said in a statement that while Parler had registered its domain with the company, they had not been in contact.
Parler’s surprise online reappearance comes days after Epik issued a lengthy statement on January 11, saying “we have had no conversations with Parler regarding our organization becoming their registrar or hosting provider.
“As a provider of critical infrastructure for an increasingly digital world, Epik has closely observed the battle between oversized monopolies and smaller platforms.”
Epik also slammed Parler’s booting off from the internet as a “kneejerk reaction”.
It accused Google, Amazon and Apple of “simply deplatforming and terminating any relationship that on the surface looks problematic or controversial”.
On January 10, Apple and Amazon announced they had suspended Parler from their app store and web hosting service. Their action came days after a similar move by Google.
Apple and Amazon said the social networking service was popular with many right-leaning social media users, and accused Parler of failing to take adequate measures to prevent the spread of posts inciting violence.
Parler is favored by many supporters of President Donald Trump, who was permanently suspended from Twitter, and it’s seen as a haven for people expelled from Twitter.
Amazon cut off the platform’s access to internet servers.
Parler was booted off for allegedly violating its terms of services by failing to effectively deal with a steady increase in violent content.
Matze has lashed out at Amazon, Google and Apple.
He said their suspension was a coordinated effort, knowing Parler’s options would be limited, and it would inflict the most damage right as Trump was banned from other social media platforms.
“There is the possibility Parler will be unavailable on internet for up to a week as we rebuild from scratch,” he said in a post on Parler.
“This was a coordinated attack by the tech giants to kill competition in the market place.
“You can expect the war on competition and free speech to continue, but don’t count us out,” he added.
But, on Sunday, January 17, Apple’s boss, Tim Cook, announced that Parler could return to its app store if it changes how it moderates posts on the platform.
“We looked at the incitement to violence that was on there, and we don’t consider that free speech and incitement to violence has an intersection,” Cook told Fox News.
Parler has alleged that Amazon was violating antitrust laws and acting to help social rival Twitter.
In Apple’s case, “we’ve only suspended them,” Cook said.
“So, if they get their moderation together, they would be back on” the app store, he added.
Parler’s popularity skyrocketed after Twitter permanently banned Trump following the Capitol attack – which Cook called “one of the saddest moments of my life” and “an attack on our democracy.”
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The day that Apple suspended downloads for Parler, it was the top-downloaded app from the app store in the US.
Parler, which launched in 2018, operates much like Twitter, with profiles to follow and “parleys” instead of tweets.
Although the platform was known for attracting ultra-conservative and extreme-right users, more recently, it had signed up “many more traditional Republican voices”, reports news agency AFP.