Today, Parler, LLC announced that it will be re-launching on Apple’s App Store the week of April 26, 2021. The announcement comes after Apple responded to a letter from Senator Mike Lee and Congressman Ken Buck by informing them that Apple had agreed to allow Parler back onto the App Store.
Parler’s re-launch onthe App Store comes after several months of productive dialogue with Apple and new information that Parler provided to the public and Congress to demonstrate that the Company has always prohibited incitement and Parler had been unfairly scapegoated for the events of January 6th. Parler applauds Apple for heeding this message.
Through its work with Apple, Parler implemented several new safeguards in order to detect posts that would not fall within the protections of the First Amendment. Parler did not, however, make changes to its broad policies to create a free and open platform without viewpoint censorship and committed to the First Amendment rights of its users. While the App Store version of Parler will prohibit some posts that Parler allows, those posts will still remain visible on the web-based and Android versions of Parler.
In announcing the re-launch on the App Store, Parler’s Interim CEO Mark Meckler made the following statement:
“Parler has and will always be a free and open forum where users could engage in the free exchange of ideas in the full spirit of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. We have worked to put in place systems that will better detect unlawful speech and allow users to filter content undesirable to them, while maintaining our strict prohibition against content moderation based on viewpoint.
“Parler is also grateful for Senator Mike Lee’s and Congressman Ken Buck’s hard work and commitment to the open exchange of ideas in the free market. Their recent letter to Apple helped facilitate Parler’s re-launch on the App Store and has empowered Parler’s users to re-engage in the ability to freely express themselves and share ideas free of the viewpoint discrimination that they face on other platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
“Finally, Parler would like to thank its users for their patience as we worked to get this done. This company was started as a non-partisan and pro-First Amendment alternative to other social media platforms, and we will continue to allow our users to freely share ideas and expression, consistent with the protections of the First Amendment and without viewpoint censorship or determination.”
