Pro free-speech social networking service Parler is back online after being shut down by Big Tech companies, particularly Amazon.
On Sunday, Parler's website popped a message from its CEO John Matze asking, "Hello World, is this thing on?" The Blaze reported.
Parler posted a statement on their site reminding everyone about their intent as a platform for discourse where parties could exercise their rights to free speech. They promised to be back soon.
"Now seems like the right time to remind you all - both lovers and haters - why we started this platform. We believe privacy is paramount and free speech essential, especially on social media. Our aim has always been to provide a nonpartisan public square where individuals can enjoy and exercise their rights to both.
We will resolve any challenge before us and plan to welcome all of you back soon. We will not let civil discourse perish!"
After Amazon and other tech. companies severed ties with Parler, thereby causing it to be temporarily deplatformed, CEO John Matze said that they will be back up by the end of Jan..
"I'm confident that by the end of the month, we'll be back up," Matze told Fox News.
Parler's new domain is now registered to Epik, a Washington State-based internet web hosting service that Vice referred to as the "internet savior of the far-right."
Brief Backstory
In the wake of the Jan. 6 political upheaval which culminated in the breaching of the Capitol, social media giants like Facebook and Twitter policed contents they claimed could potentially trigger more violence. They took it a step further by suspending accounts which they claimed to be complicit with the Capitol riot including that of President Trump who called for peace.
Other online platforms like YouTube followed.
Parler, a social network with a service similar to Twitter, was cut off by its business partners Amazon, Google, Apple, Twilio, Okta, and Zendesk for its alleged non-compliance to also moderate contents posted on its platform particularly photos and videos about the Capitol riot.
According to a report by BuzzFeed, Amazon sent an email to Parler stating,
"Recently, we've seen a steady increase in this violent content on your website, all of which violates our terms. It's clear that Parler does not have an effective process to comply with the AWS terms of service.[W]e cannot provide services to a customer that is unable to effectively identify and remove content that encourages or incites violence against others."
On Jan. 10, Amazon suspended Parler's account. Google and Apple did the same citing the same reason.
On Monday, Parler filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon and disputed their claims of sending repeated warnings prior to their suspension. There was also no talk about possible breaches in their contract until the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.
Parler CEO John Matze also had a clapback on socialist Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and other officials who called for the censorship of his platform for allowing "sick and evil" contents.
"I think it's sick. That's not what the Constitution said. That's not what the Constitution stands for, banning 10-plus million U.S. voters from the internet, barring people from free speech. When people do things like that, it shows that they don't understand the meaning of the Constitution or this country and what it stands for," he told Fox News.
On Tuesday, Amazon filed their response to Parler's charges. Parler did not give any comment, but on the same day, moved its domain and server to Epik. Now, they're working on being fully operational by the end of this month.
