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The service to Speak, an unfiltered social media site favored by the Conservatives, was partially restored on Sunday, a week after the site was taken offline after Amazon refused to continue hosting the site on its servers.
Although the site’s social media features do not appear to be functional, visitors to the site are now greeted with a message from Parler CEO John Matze.
“The time seems right to remind all of you – lovers and haters – why we launched this platform. We believe that privacy is paramount and that freedom of expression is essential, especially on social media. Our goal has always been to provide a non-partisan public place where individuals can enjoy and exercise their rights over both, ”the January 16 post read. “We will solve any challenges that lie ahead and plan to welcome you all soon. We will not let civil discourse perish!”
According to CNN, the website now appears to be hosted by Epik – a company that also hosts websites like the Gab mail service and the 8chan right-wing forum. Both sites have spawned and facilitate the dissemination of white supremacist views and conspiracy theories, like QAnon.
In recent months, right-wing conservatives have flocked to Speak after claiming that traditional social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have gone too far in censoring users. Parler has dubbed itself the “social network for freedom of expression”.
However, Speak has also drawn conspiracy theorists and violent actors to the platform. Several reports detailed how Parler users planned aspects of the Jan.6 attack on the platform.
BuzzFeed also reports that Talk users celebrated the January 6 riots in the days after Trump supporters entered the Capitol and some were encouraging another rally in Washington on the eve of Biden’s inauguration.
Matze said it was against Community Speaking guidelines to “incite or threaten violence or any other activity that breaks the law”. Amazon is just the latest company to take steps to take down the social media site.
Last weekend, Apple and Google made the site’s mobile app unavailable for download on its platforms.
In 2019, weeks after a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 people dead, Amazon launched Gab – a social media app favored by far-right conservatives – after an investigation showed the shooter had published anti-Semitic diatribes on the site.
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