Story at a glance:
- The conservative app is coming back to the App Store with new artificial intelligence.
- Parler rolled out a moderating system that can detect “hate” without violating privacy.
- The app was removed from a number of platforms, including the App Store, following the Capitol insurrection.
Parler, the social media network that is popular among conservatives, will be available on Apple’s App Store after it was booted from the platform following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
As an app, Parler principles itself as being the conservative-leaning answer to Twitter and Facebook, touting an adherence to free speech. The service has been criticized as amplifying its far-right user base. Upon its return to the App Store, however, Parler is rolling out a newer version that will block posts that an artificial moderation system marks as “hate,” The Washington Post reported.
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By doing so, Parler has agreed to comply with Apple’s App Store terms of conditions. Posts that are labeled “hate” will not be visible on iPhones or iPads.
“The entire Parler team has worked hard to address Apple’s concerns without compromising our core mission,” Interim CEO Mark Meckler told The Verge in a statement. “Anything allowed on the Parler network but not in the iOS app will remain accessible through our web-based and Android versions. This is a win-win for Parler, its users, and free speech.”
Parler says its new algorithm will “automatically detect violent or inciting content, while still preserving user privacy,” according to The Verge. The company asserts that such language has “always violated Parler’s guidelines.”
The app was home to many users, but in Apple’s own words, “a significant number of posts” on Parler violated its app store guidelines for objectionable content, including “posts that encouraged violence, denigrated various ethnic groups, races and religions, glorified Nazism, and called for violence against specific people.”
On March 31, @SenMikeLee and I sent a letter demanding answers about why Apple removed Parler from the App Store.
Today, we received a response: Parler will be reinstated on the App Store. Huge win for free speech. pic.twitter.com/FQBDSSSFGk
— Rep. Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) April 19, 2021
Last month, Apple announced that the app would be available to people on the app store once Parler changed its content moderation policies. Apple made the announcement in a letter addressed to members of Congress.
Parler lost its web hosting contract with Amazon Web Services due to concern that the app was used to glorify and incite the Capitol insurgents. The company is currently suing Amazon.
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