Parler, a social media app popular among Republicans, far-right extremists, and conspiracy theorists who were dissatisfied with major tech firms’ moderation practises, will be reinstated to Google’s app store on Friday.
According to a spokeswoman for the social network firm, Parler agreed to implement restrictions that would eliminate specific content from its app, but that “the conversation isn’t finished” and users can view the website “as we intend it” on their PCs.
The move by Google comes more than a year after Parler was kicked off the search engine giant’s platform following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. At the time, Google told Insider that its policies require removing posts that “incite violence” and that Parler repeatedly violated those rules.
Now, the social media company that touts itself as a “premier global free speech platform” will be stepping up its content moderation rules.
A Google spokesperson said in a statement to Insider that Parler has agreed to comply with the company’s Play app store rules, including having moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content such as posts that incite violence.
“As we’ve long stated, apps can exist on Google Play as long as they follow Play’s developer regulations,” the representative added. “All Google Play apps that feature user-generated content (UGC) must implement robust moderation practises that prohibit objectionable content, provide an in-app system for reporting objectionable UGC, take appropriate action against that UGC, and remove or block abusive users who violate the app’s terms of use and/or user policy.”
Christina Cravens, Parler’s chief marketing officer, told The Times that the company buried not-safe-for-work information and eliminated hate speech based on race, sex, and sexuality to comply with Google’s Play app store guidelines.
“As we’ve long stated, apps can exist on Google Play as long as they adhere to Play’s developer guidelines,” the representative noted. “All Google Play apps that feature user-generated content (UGC) must implement robust moderation practises, such as prohibiting objectionable content, providing an in-app system for reporting objectionable UGC, taking appropriate action against that UGC, and removing or blocking abusive users who violate the app’s terms of use and/or user policy.”
To comply with Google’s Play app store requirements, Parler’s chief marketing officer, Christina Cravens, told The Times that the company concealed not-safe-for-work content and removed hate speech based on race, sex, and sexuality.