Parler Rhymes With Ye: The Former Kanye West Agrees to Acquire the Controversial App

A controversial public figure acquired a controversial social platform Monday, as Parler parent Parlement Technologies revealed that it agreed to sell the application to Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. The company called Ye the richest Black man in history due to his music and apparel ventures and credited him with “taking a bold stance” against censorship, saying that the proposed acquisition will help Parler ensure its part in “creating an uncancelable ecosystem where all voices are welcome.” Ye has a Parler profile but had not posted yet at the time of this post. His accounts on Instagram and Twitter were restricted earlier this month for antisemitic posts, including a since-deleted tweet saying (unedited): “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” The Anti-Defamation League was not available for comment, as its office is closed Monday and Tuesday for the Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah holidays. Parler debuted in September 2018, pitching itself as a free-speech alternative to established social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and it saw a surge in downloads and active users around the time of the 2020 presidential election in the U.S. The app’s use to incite participants in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, led to its removal from the Apple App Store and Google Play, as well as Amazon Web Services discontinuing its hosting services. Parler was reinstated by Apple last May after releasing what it called a “PG” version of the app, with “enhanced threat and incitement reporting tools,” and Google allowed it back on Google Play last month. Neither Apple nor Google responded to requests for comment on whether the acquisition would affect Parler's standing in their respective app stores. According to data.ai (formerly App Annie), Parler has been downloaded a total of 6.2 million times in the U.S. and 8.5 million times globally across the Apple App Store and Google Play, with those figures at 103,000 and 215,000, respectively, from January through September of this year. The app had 725,000 monthly active users in the U.S. in the first half of 2022, down sharply from 5.2 million in the first half of 2021, according to data.ai, and it slipped to No. 10 among social/microblogging apps in the U.S. over the same period, down from No. 3. Ye said in a statement, "In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial, we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves." Parlement Technologies CEO George Farmer added, "This deal will change the world and change the way the world thinks about free speech. Ye is making a groundbreaking move into the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again. Once again, Ye proves that he is one step ahead of the legacy media narrative. Parlement will be honored to help him achieve his goals."