The conservative social media platform Parler has returned to the Google Play Store after being removed in the wake of the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol.
Parler is available on the Google Play Store for Android users starting Friday. The app was returned to Apple’s App Store in May 2021 but has been unable to get back onto Android since its initial removal. Google reinstated the app thanks to several measures that Parler implemented to moderate its content.
LAW ENFORCEMENT USING LOCATION-DATA SOFTWARE TO TRACK SUSPECTS WITHOUT WARRANTS
“As we’ve long stated, apps are able to appear on Google Play provided they comply with Play’s developer policies,” a Google spokesperson told Axios. These policies include a requirement demanding that apps featuring “User Generated Content” implement “robust moderation practices that prohibit objectionable content, provide an in-app system for reporting objectionable UGC, take action against that UGC where appropriate, and remove or block abusive users who violate the app’s terms of use and/or user policy.”
The implementation of Parler on Android arrived days after Google confirmed that it had not allowed the Trump-owned social network Truth Social to release an Android app due to a lack of content moderation.
Parler was removed from Google Play, the App Store, and Amazon Web Services after several people noted that the Jan. 6 protesters had organized efforts on the platform. The company eventually found a conservative webhost but struggled to build momentum after the website’s initial bans.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Parler was allowed back on the Apple App Store in May 2021 after the company swapped CEOs and implemented additional content moderation policies. The company has struggled to recover since concerning web traffic. The platform experienced a 43% drop in web traffic year-over-year, according to The Righting.
