Apple removed Parler from the app store after the platform did not change its content moderation policies following an ultimatum.
“We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity. Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people’s safety. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues,” reads a statement from Apple on Saturday evening.
Parler, the social media site that prides itself on abstaining from censorship, was first sent a warning email from Apple on Friday morning, according to Buzzfeed News. It appears that warning was largely in reaction to Wednesday’s siege of the Capitol by many supporters of President Trump.
“We have received numerous complaints regarding objectionable content in your Parler service, accusations that the Parler app was used to plan, coordinate, and facilitate the illegal activities in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021 that led (among other things) to loss of life, numerous injuries, and the destruction of property,” the email reads. “The app also appears to continue to be used to plan and facilitate yet further illegal and dangerous activities.”
Apple gave Parler 24 hours beginning Friday to respond to the message with a “moderation improvement plan.”
Google suspended the app from its Google Play store on Friday for similar reasons.
“We recognize that there can be reasonable debate about content policies and that it can be difficult for apps to immediately remove all violative content, but for us to distribute an app through Google Play, we do require that apps implement robust moderation for egregious content,” the company wrote in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat, we are suspending the app’s listings from the Play Store until it addresses these issues.”
Trump’s Twitter account was permanently banned on Friday, leaving Parler as a contender for his next social media platform of choice.
Mike Brest and Sydney Shea contributed to this report.
—
UPDATE: This report has been updated to reflect Parler’s removal from the App Store.
