Social media platform Parler will be allowed back on Apple’s App Store after being banned from the marketplace for over four months following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. The platform, which is popular with conservatives, was forced to significantly improve its content moderation practices in order to be allowed to return to the store.
It is a “huge win for free speech,” said Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, the top Republican on the House antitrust panel overseeing Big Tech regulations. Buck received a letter from Apple on Monday informing him of the reinstatement.
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At the end of March, Buck and Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah sent a letter to Apple, Amazon, and Google demanding answers about their decisions to ban Parler, suggesting that the tech companies colluded unfairly against the platform. Apple denied this assertion in its letter to Buck on Monday.
All three of the Big Tech giants moved to take down Parler in early January, citing its role in facilitating the Capitol attack on Jan. 6. Parler announced in February that its website had resumed operations on a new platform but said that its phone app was not available on iPhone or Android devices yet. Parler is still not available on Android devices.
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Senior House Republicans said in January that any investigation into Parler for its role in the Capitol attack should include Facebook and Twitter as well. They said that Parler is not accused of violating any law, and instead, Parler was shown to have collaborated with the FBI in the weeks before the Capitol attack.
