Parler, a highly controversial social media platform popular with conservatives and right-wing extremists, has been banned from the big three tech giants, Apple, Google, and Amazon, following the violent riot at the U.S. capitol. However, Apple announced that the controversial app would once again return to the Apple App Store in a letter to two Republican lawmakers, Utah Senator Mike Lee and Colorado Representative Ken Buck, on April 19th. Parler has supposedly made some updates and moderation following Apple’s guidelines, which allowed the app to relaunch to the App Store; however, the relaunch date of the app is not yet announced. Parler should have been kept banned from all services as the revival of such apps will only cause harm.

According to BBC News, Parler, a self-claimed “unbiased social media” advocating free speech, has gained extreme popularity by the right-wing conservatives and supporters of the former President Donald Trump during the presidential election of 2020. Removal of this app disappointed many of its former users and was criticized for taking away free speech and violating their First Amendment rights. Following the removal, Utah Senator Mike Lee and Colorado Representative Ken Buck sent a letter to Apple on March 30th, addressing their concerns and demands for the return of the app back on the platform. In their response, the director of government affairs at Apple explained the reasons for the removal of the app saying that it has violated Apple’s guidelines and “encouraged violence, denigrated various ethnic groups, races and religions” and “glorified Nazism.” Parler was used by the Capitol rioters to spread false news and encourage violence, unifying them to ultimately instigate the U.S. capitol riot. This incident resulted in the app being removed from the Apple Store, the Android Play Store, and the Amazon Web Services platform. However, even before the Capitol Riot, the app was controversial as a platform that circulated misinformation about the 2020 election as well. Users of the app defended their argument saying misinformation is permitted under free speech. In response to Apple’s announcement about the return of Parler, Buck tweeted, “huge win for free speech” and added, “It’s time for Google and Amazon to follow Apple’s lead. Stop the censorship.” Lee also commented, “Conservative speech must not be silenced”. 

The letter did not include specific details of the changes made on Parler and only stated that the relaunched app will comply with Apple’s guidelines. CEO of Parler, Mark Meckler, commented, “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.” According to The Hill, Parler said that the web-based version of Parler will keep some content that is removed from the App store version of Parler. The website version of Parler has been relaunched after its removal; the fact that the web version of Parler will keep censored content on the App version Parler speaks for Parlers’ clear intention of keeping its hate speeches and disinformation. Even after the incident of the Capitol Attack, Parler is not doing much to prevent such violence and disorder from occuring again. Such an app that maximizes profit from its users’ ill intentions is not defensible, and politicians who promote it as a vessel for free speech are dismissing the undeniable harm it has caused. 

Parler’s non committal attitude towards reforming its issues regarding hate speech and censored contents on the web version of Parler has also raised concerns. Jessica Gonzalez, Co-CEO of media platform Free Press, has revealed her concerns to The Hill saying that the company followed the modifications suggested by Apple in the sole purpose of relaunching, and that they “do that so that they can continue to make money by proliferating hate, violence, racism, disinformation. Which is really what Parler’s famous for.” Parler is utilizing “free speech” as an advantage to provide a place for millions of users to spread the poison of hate and racism that they cannot do on other major social media platforms. Should such a platform that uses people’s ill intentions to make profit and normalize racism, violence, and accelerate social issues be allowed in the media? The answer is definitely not. Social media platforms should have the right to censor information that endangers and dehumanizes groups of people. Unless Parler specifically announces its specific changes in policy that protects all people, I believe that the relaunch of the app will endanger our society.