Parler, a social networking site that drew supporters of former President Donald J. Trump, will return to Google’s Play app store on Friday, more than a year after the app was removed for violent material.
Since the beginning of 2021, the app has greatly expanded its content control, according to a Google spokesperson. All applications in the Google Play Store must restrict offensive material, offer an in-app method for reporting problematic content, and delete or block abusive users who break terms and rules, according to a Google spokesperson.
According to Ms. Cravens, Parler has always forbidden anything that incites violence; but, for the Google-compliant version of the app, the business buried inappropriate material. She said that Parler also eliminated hate speech based on ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, and other variables from Apple and Google’s storefronts.
Since the assault on the Capitol building on January 6, Google has banned Parler from the Play Store, citing the app’s failure to delete user-generated material that supported violence as a danger to public safety. Axios had previously reported Parler’s reinstatement on Play.
Since its inception in 2018, Parler’s declared mission has been to serve as a light for free expression. The Nashville-based firm has spoken out against censorship, claiming on its website that “biassed content curation procedures allow rage mobs and bullies to affect community standards.”
Parler, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store, has long pushed to attract Android smartphone owners. Even after being removed from Google Play, Parler permitted users to download an Android version of the application from its website, circumventing Google’s content moderation policies.
Recently, Google had a public argument with Truth Social, a Parler rival launched by Donald Trump, about Truth Social’s continued absence from the Play Store. Google said on Tuesday that Truth Social must remove from the store any user-generated material that incites violence. According to a source with knowledge of the issue, Truth Social is actively working on the content moderation modifications Google required, and the app might be available on the Play Store within one to two weeks.
