Kanye West has purchased a contentious ‘free speech’ app, Parler

Kanye West (aka Ye) was shut out of his Twitter and Instagram accounts last week after a weekend of anti-Semitic postings. The drama has now taken a sudden turn with the announcement that the hip-hop mogul is purchasing the contentious “free speech” social media app Parler. The acquisition looks to be moving rapidly, with the Parler (Parlement technologies) firm stating that the parties intend to finalize the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2022. The cost was not disclosed.

“The proposed purchase would ensure Parler’s future role in developing an unstoppable environment where all opinions are accepted,” Parlement Technologies CEO George Farmer stated. “In a society where conservative beliefs are seen as provocative, we must ensure our ability to openly express ourselves,” Kanye continued.

Shortly after his return to Twitter, West wrote an anti-Semitic comment, which the company later removed. A spokeswoman for Twitter stated at the time, “The account in issue has been locked due to a breach of Twitter’s policy.” The rapper then posted a screenshot on Instagram with another anti-Semitic statement, which was also blocked by the site.

 

 

According to the above-mentioned Twitter post, Elon Musk, a prospective future Twitter owner, conveyed concerns to West about his remark, adding, “I believe he took [them] to heart.” He seems to have done so by acquiring a competing service.

Meanwhile, Parler was just recently reinstalled on Google Play after being removed in January 2021 in the aftermath of the US Capitol insurgency. According to a Google spokeswoman at the time, the app was removed due to a lack of “moderation norms and enforcement that eliminate egregious material such as postings that inspire violence.” Apple withdrew the app for identical reasons, but it was reinstalled earlier this month.

As implied by their statements, Parler and West saw the purchase as a benefit to free expression. However, if Parler enables racist, sexist, or anti-Semitic messages like the ones that got Kanye kicked from Twitter and Instagram, it may be banned from the App Store and Play Store again.

Parler began in 2018, but gained traction when Donald Trump was banned from Twitter and Ted Cruz and others announced their plans to use the app. Despite claiming to be the “free expression social network,” several Twitter users have reported being blocked after joining the app to insult conservatives. Parler is also in competition with Trump’s own Truth social media app.