View source for Parler

{{short description|American microblogging and social networking service}}
{{about|the social network}}
{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{Update|date=October 2022|reason=Sourcing is mostly from 2020 and before}}{{Use American English|date=January 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Parler
| logo = Parler logo (2022).svg
| logo_size = 230px
| screenshot = File:Andy Biggs' Parler feed.png
| screenshot_size = 250px
| caption = A Parler feed showing [[Andy Biggs]]
| collapsible = noa
| company_type = Private
| key_people = 
| website_type = [[Social networking service]]
| language = 
| traded_as = 
| foundation = 2018<ref name="meet-rebekah-mercer"/>
| location = [[Nashville, Tennessee]]
| coordinates = 
| industry = [[Internet]]
| founder = John Matze Jr.<br/>Jared Thomson<br/>[[Rebekah Mercer]]<ref name="meet-rebekah-mercer"/>
| CEO = George Farmer<ref name="Needleman-WSJ"/>
| num_users = 700,000 to 1 million (active)<br>{{as of|2022|01|lc=y|df=US}}<ref name=":12">{{Cite news|last=Jones|first=Callum|date=2022-01-22|title=From the flag-bearer for free speech to 'scapegoat', Parler is fighting back|language=en|work=[[The Times]]|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/from-the-flag-bearer-for-free-speech-to-scapegoat-parler-is-fighting-back-bmwcdfgf5|access-date=2022-01-22|issn=0140-0460}}</ref><br>20 million (total)<br>{{as of|2021|01|lc=y|df=US}}<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-02-15|title=Social media platform Parler is back online on 'independent technology'|work=[[CNBC]]|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/15/social-media-platform-parler-back-online-after-being-banned-by-major-tech-companies.html|access-date=2021-03-06}}</ref>
| num_employees = 30<ref name="Horwitz-WSJ"/>
| parent = Parlement Technologies<ref name="RestructureWSJ"/>
| subsid = 
| registration = Required
| launch_date = {{start date and age|2018|09}}<ref name="Newsweek"/>
| current_status = Active<ref name="Verge online"/><ref name="Hill online"/>
| programming_language = 
| footnotes = 
| url = {{website|parler.com}}
}}

'''Parler''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɑːr|l|ər}}) is<!--See [[Talk:Parler#Should the verbs be changed to past tense?]] before changing tense.--> an American [[alt-tech]] [[social networking]] service associated with [[conservatism in the United States|conservatives]].<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |last=Fung |first=Brian |date=2022-10-17 |title=Kanye West to acquire conservative social media platform Parler |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/17/tech/kanye-west-ye-parler/index.html |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":16">{{Cite news |date=2022-10-17 |title=Kanye West agrees to buy right-wing platform Parler |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63285698 |access-date=2022-10-17}}</ref><ref name=":17">{{Cite web |last=Browne |first=Ryan |title=Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, agrees to buy conservative social media platform Parler, company says |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/17/kanye-west-is-buying-conservative-social-media-platform-parler-company-says.html |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":18">{{Cite web |title=Kanye West to buy conservative social media app Parler |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/10/17/kanye-west-to-buy-conservative-social-media-app-parler |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=Al Jazeera|date=2022-10-17|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":19">{{Cite news |last1=Coster |first1=Helen |last2=Datta |first2=Tiyashi |last3=Balu |first3=Nivedita |date=2022-10-17 |title=Kanye West agrees to buy social media app Parler |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/parler-be-acquired-by-kanye-west-2022-10-17/ |access-date=2022-10-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Turner |first=Giles |date=2022-10-17 |title=Ye to Buy Controversial Social Networking App Parler |work=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-17/ye-to-buy-controversial-social-networking-app-parler?leadSource=uverify%20wall |access-date=2022-10-17}}</ref> Journalists have described Parler as an alt-tech alternative to [[Twitter]], and users include those banned from mainstream social networks or who oppose their moderation policies.<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news |last1=Culliford |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Paul |first2=Katie |date=June 14, 2019 |title=Unhappy with Twitter, thousands of Saudis join pro-Trump social network Parler |publisher=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-saudi-politics-idUSKCN1TE32S |url-status=live |access-date=June 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627122226/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-saudi-politics-idUSKCN1TE32S |archive-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref><ref name="forward">{{Cite news|last=Saul|first=Isaac|date=July 18, 2019|title=This Twitter Alternative Was Supposed To Be Nicer, But Bigots Love It Already |url=https://forward.com/news/national/427705/parler-news-white-supremacist-islamophobia-laura-loomer/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630205321/https://forward.com/news/national/427705/parler-news-white-supremacist-islamophobia-laura-loomer/|archive-date=June 30, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|work=[[The Forward]]}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Jason |date=2021-01-13 |title=Rightwingers flock to 'alt tech' networks as mainstream sites ban Trump |url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/social-media-trump-ban-alt-tech-far-right |access-date=2022-03-09 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref> Launched in August 2018, Parler markets itself as a [[Freedom of speech|free speech]]-focused and unbiased alternative to mainstream social networks such as Twitter and [[Facebook]].<ref name="ADL-2020-11">{{Cite web |date=November 12, 2020 |title=Parler: Where the Mainstream Mingles with the Extreme |url=https://www.adl.org/blog/parler-where-the-mainstream-mingles-with-the-extreme |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114212320/https://www.adl.org/blog/parler-where-the-mainstream-mingles-with-the-extreme |archive-date=November 14, 2020 |access-date=November 14, 2020 |publisher=[[Anti-Defamation League]]}}</ref><ref name="forward" /><ref name=":21">{{Cite web |last=Parker |first=Bryan C. |date=2020-12-01 |title=I tried Parler, the social media app where hate speech thrives |url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/I-tried-Parler-the-social-media-app-where-hate-15765465.php |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=Chron |language=en-US}}</ref>

Parler's userbase grew exponentially during 2020 with minimal content moderation.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |last=Jaehnig |first=Johnathan |date=2022-05-31 |title=Is Parler Back Online? |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/is-parler-back-online/ |access-date=2022-07-10 |website=MakeUseOf |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Simeone |first1=Michael |last2=Walker |first2=Shawn |date=2022-07-07 |title=How "Big Tech" Became the Right Wing's 2020 Boogeyman |url=https://slate.com/technology/2022/07/big-tech-trump-jan-6-gaetz.html |access-date=2022-07-10 |website=Slate |language=en}}</ref> After reports that Parler was used to coordinate the [[2021 United States Capitol attack|2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol]], several companies denied it their services.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55615214?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bgnl.newsletters%5D-%5Bheadline%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D&xtor=ES-213-%5BBBC%20News%20Newsletter%5D-2021January11-%5Btop+news+stories%5D |title=Parler social network sues Amazon for pulling support |work=BBC News |date=January 11, 2021 |access-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116071418/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55615214?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bgnl.newsletters%5D-%5Bheadline%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D&xtor=ES-213-%5BBBC%20News%20Newsletter%5D-2021January11-%5Btop+news+stories%5D |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] and [[Google Play|Google]] removed Parler's [[mobile app]] from their [[app store]]s, and Parler went offline on January 10, 2021, when [[Amazon Web Services]] canceled its [[Internet hosting service|hosting]] services.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/technology/apple-google-parler.html|title=Apple and Google Cut Off Parler, an App That Drew Trump Supporters|first1=Jack|last1=Nicas|first2=Davey|last2=Alba|author-link2=Davey Alba|date=January 10, 2021|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 10, 2021|archive-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110005929/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/technology/apple-google-parler.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BBC-offline">{{Cite news|date=January 11, 2021|title=Parler social network drops offline after Amazon pulls support|publisher=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55615214|access-date=January 11, 2021|archive-date=January 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111081926/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55615214|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Amazon Booting">{{Cite news|last=Paczkowski|first=John|author-link=John Paczkowski|date=January 9, 2021|title=Amazon Is Booting Parler Off Of Its Web Hosting Service|work=[[BuzzFeed News]]|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/johnpaczkowski/amazon-parler-aws|url-status=live|access-date=January 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110021731/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/johnpaczkowski/amazon-parler-aws|archive-date=January 10, 2021}}</ref> Before it went offline in January 2021, according to Parler, the service had about 15 million users.<ref name="Struggles Survival">{{cite news|last1=Hagey|first1=Keach|last2=Horwitz|first2=Jeff|date=January 11, 2021|title=Parler, a Platform Favored by Trump Fans, Struggles for Survival|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/parler-struggles-survival-amazon-lawsuit-trump-fans-11610414745|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|access-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210112052848/https://www.wsj.com/articles/parler-struggles-survival-amazon-lawsuit-trump-fans-11610414745|archive-date=January 12, 2021}}</ref> Parler called the removals "a coordinated attack by the tech giants to kill competition in the marketplace".<ref name=":14" /> Parler resumed service on February 15, 2021, after moving domain registration to [[Epik]].<ref name="Abril">{{Cite web|last=Abril|first=Danielle|date=January 19, 2021|title=Meet Epik, the right-wing's best friend online |url=https://fortune.com/2021/01/19/epik-parler-web-domain-dns-provider-gab-conservatives-social-media/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119195609/https://fortune.com/2021/01/19/epik-parler-web-domain-dns-provider-gab-conservatives-social-media/|archive-date=January 19, 2021|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]|language=en}}</ref> A version of the app with added content filters was released on the [[App Store (iOS/iPadOS)|Apple App Store]] on May 17, 2021.<ref name="Verge online">{{Cite web|last=Robertson|first=Adi|date=2021-02-15|title=Parler is back online after a month of downtime |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/15/22284036/parler-social-network-relaunch-new-hosting|access-date=2021-02-15|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215170355/https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/15/22284036/parler-social-network-relaunch-new-hosting|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hill online">{{Cite web|last=Lonas|first=Lexi|date=2021-02-15|title=Parler announces official relaunch, says it is back online|url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/538872-parler-announces-official-relaunch-says-it-is-back-online|access-date=2021-02-15|website=TheHill|language=en|archive-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215174243/https://thehill.com/policy/technology/538872-parler-announces-official-relaunch-says-it-is-back-online|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web|last=Molina|first=Brett|date=May 17, 2021|title=Parler is back on iPhones: Social media app returns to Apple's App Store|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/05/17/parler-returns-apple-app-store-iphone-after-removal/5124921001/|access-date=May 17, 2021|website=[[USA Today]]|language=en-US}}</ref> Parler returned to [[Google Play]] on September 2, 2022.<ref name="PlayStoreReturn">{{Cite web |last=Fischer |first=Sara |date=2022-09-02 |title=Google brings Parler back to Google Play Store |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/09/02/google-parler-app-play-store |access-date=2022-09-02 |website=Axios |language=en}}</ref>

Founder and CEO John Matze was Parler's chief executive officer until January 29, 2021, at which point he said he had been fired by the company's board, which he asserted was controlled by co-founder and investor [[Rebekah Mercer]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Horwitz |first1=Jeff |last2=Hagey |first2=Keach |date=February 3, 2021 |title=Parler CEO Says He Was Fired by Conservative Political Donor Rebekah Mercer |website=[[Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/parler-ceo-says-he-was-fired-by-conservative-political-donor-rebekah-mercer-11612397380 |url-status=live |access-date=February 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204001300/https://www.wsj.com/articles/parler-ceo-says-he-was-fired-by-conservative-political-donor-rebekah-mercer-11612397380 |archive-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref> Former [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]] activist [[Mark Meckler]] served as interim CEO from February to May 2021, when the [[Brexit Party]] donor and former candidate George Farmer (husband of conservative activist [[Candace Owens]]) was named CEO.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" /> In September 2022, Parler announced they would be restructuring under a new parent company, Parlement Technologies Inc., to focus on powering an "uncancellable economy".<ref name="RestructureWSJ"/> In October 2022, Parler's parent company [[agreement in principle|agreed in principle]] to a purchase of Parler by American rapper [[Kanye West]],<ref name="KanyeCNBC"/> a deal that was rescinded in December.<ref name="noye">{{Cite web |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/12/01/ye-is-no-longer-buying-parler |title=Ye is no longer buying Parler |first1=Dan |last1=Primack |first2=Sara |last2=Fischer |publisher=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |lang=en-US |date=2022-12-01 |accessdate=2022-12-01}}</ref>

Parler has received criticism for its content policies, which some journalists and users argue are more restrictive than the company portrays and sometimes more restrictive than those of its competitors.<ref name="Rules still apply">{{Cite news |last=Lerman |first=Rachel |date=July 15, 2020 |title=The conservative alternative to Twitter wants to be a place for free speech for all. It turns out, rules still apply. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/07/15/parler-conservative-twitter-alternative/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728230544/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/07/15/parler-conservative-twitter-alternative/ |archive-date=July 28, 2020}}</ref><ref name="fortune" /><ref name="Dicks Boobs or Poop">{{Cite web |last=Cameron |first=Dell |date=June 30, 2020 |title=Parler CEO Says He'll Ban Users for Posting Bad Words, Dicks, Boobs, or Poop |url=https://gizmodo.com/parler-ceo-says-hell-ban-users-for-posting-bad-words-d-1844222360 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701205402/https://gizmodo.com/parler-ceo-says-hell-ban-users-for-posting-bad-words-d-1844222360 |archive-date=July 1, 2020 |access-date=August 4, 2020 |website=[[Gizmodo]]}}</ref><ref name="What's the deal?">{{cite news |last1=Hadavas |first1=Chloe |date=July 3, 2020 |title=What's the Deal With Parler? |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |url=https://slate.com/technology/2020/07/parler-free-speech-twitter.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703142505/https://slate.com/technology/2020/07/parler-free-speech-twitter.html |archive-date=July 3, 2020}}</ref> Conservatives have praised Parler as offering an alternative to censorship they claim to endure on more mainstream platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter.<ref name="Grumbling told us" />

==History==
Parler was founded by John Matze Jr. and Jared Thomson in [[Henderson, Nevada]], in August 2018. The company's name was taken from the [[French language|French]] word {{lang|fr|"parler"}}, meaning "to speak".<ref name="meet-rebekah-mercer">{{Cite news|last1=Benveniste|first1=Alexis|first2=Kaya|last2=Yurieff|title=Meet Rebekah Mercer, the deep-pocketed co-founder of Parler, a controversial conservative social network|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/15/media/rebekah-mercer-parler/index.html|access-date=November 18, 2020|publisher=[[CNN]]|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115230450/https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/15/media/rebekah-mercer-parler/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Funding from Mercer">{{Cite web|last=Lyons|first=Kim|date=November 14, 2020|title=Social app Parler apparently receives funding from the conservative Mercer family|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/14/21565344/parler-funding-conservative-mercer-app-trump-twitter-facebook|access-date=November 14, 2020|website=[[The Verge]]|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114210518/https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/14/21565344/parler-funding-conservative-mercer-app-trump-twitter-facebook|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last1=Di Stefano|first1=Mark|last2=Spence|first2=Alex|last3=Mac|first3=Ryan|date=February 12, 2019|title=Pro-Trump Activists Are Boosting A Twitter App Used By Banned Personalities And It Appears To Have Already Stalled|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/pro-trump-activists-are-boosting-a-twitter-app-for-banned|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629194405/https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/pro-trump-activists-are-boosting-a-twitter-app-for-banned|archive-date=June 29, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|work=[[BuzzFeed News]]}}</ref> The name was originally intended to be pronounced as in French ({{IPA-fr|paʁ.le|-|Fr-parler.ogg}}, <small>English approximation:</small> {{respell|PAR|lay}}), but is now pronounced as the English word "[[Parlour|parlor]]" ({{IPAc-en|p|ɑːr|l|ər}} {{respell|PAR|ler}}).<ref name="POLITICO 28 May 2019">{{cite news|last1=Schreckinger|first1=Ben|date=May 28, 2019|title=Amid censorship fears, Trump campaign 'checking out' alternative social network|work=[[Politico]]|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/28/trump-campaign-twitter-1345357|url-status=live|access-date=May 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619204949/https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/28/trump-campaign-twitter-1345357|archive-date=June 19, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=McKay|first=Tom|date=November 9, 2020|title='Free Speech' Social Network Parler Tops App Store Downloads After Trump Loses Election|url=https://gizmodo.com/free-speech-social-network-parler-tops-app-store-downlo-1845623741|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115004443/https://gizmodo.com/free-speech-social-network-parler-tops-app-store-downlo-1845623741|archive-date=November 15, 2020|access-date=November 14, 2020|website=[[Gizmodo]]}}</ref> ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' first reported in November 2020 that conservative investor [[Rebekah Mercer]] had funded Parler, and Mercer has since been revealed to have been a co-founder of the company.<ref name="Horwitz-WSJ">{{Cite news|last1=Horwitz|first1=Jeff|last2=Hagey|first2=Keach|date=November 14, 2020|title=Parler, Backed by Mercer Family, Makes Play for Conservatives Mad at Facebook, Twitter|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/parler-backed-by-mercer-family-makes-play-for-conservatives-mad-at-facebook-twitter-11605382430|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|access-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210112121131/https://www.wsj.com/articles/parler-backed-by-mercer-family-makes-play-for-conservatives-mad-at-facebook-twitter-11605382430|archive-date=January 12, 2021}}</ref><ref name="meet-rebekah-mercer" /><ref name="Funding from Mercer" /><ref name="mac-gray" /> According to Mercer, she co-founded Parler to counter the "ever-increasing tyranny and hubris of our tech overlords".<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|last=Murphy|first=Hannah|date=2021-09-14|title=George Farmer seeks to revive 'free speech' app that imploded after US Capitol riots|url=https://www.ft.com/content/261fecd4-715f-4b90-a7fa-57d7d4013788|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-16|website=[[Financial Times]]}}</ref> Thomson serves as the [[chief technology officer]], and Matze was Parler's [[chief executive officer]] from its founding until January 2021.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Newsweek">{{cite news|last1=Murdock|first1=Jason|date=June 25, 2020|title=Who Owns Parler? Social Media Platform Offers Safe Space for the Far Right|work=[[Newsweek]]|url=https://www.newsweek.com/parler-social-media-facebook-twitter-far-right-trump-supporters-john-matze-jared-thomson-1513378|url-status=live|access-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626121604/https://www.newsweek.com/parler-social-media-facebook-twitter-far-right-trump-supporters-john-matze-jared-thomson-1513378|archive-date=June 26, 2020}}</ref> Both are alumni of the [[University of Denver]] computer science program, and were roommates while in college.<ref name=":0"/><ref name="mac-gray" /> Some other Parler senior staff also attended the school.<ref name=":0" />

===2018–2019===
Parler launched in August 2018, billing itself as an unbiased and free speech alternative to larger social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook.<ref name="POLITICO 28 May 2019" /><ref name="Wants to be">{{cite web|last=Rothschild|first=Mike|date=June 25, 2019|title=Parler wants to be the 'free speech' alternative to Twitter|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/what-is-parler-free-speech-social-media-app/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627134007/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/what-is-parler-free-speech-social-media-app/|archive-date=June 27, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|website=[[The Daily Dot]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Needleman|first=Sarah E.|date=2021-03-11|title=What is Parler? Conservative Social-Media App Denied Apple's App Store Access|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-is-parler-app-apple-android-11610478890|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-12|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210312003933/https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-is-parler-app-apple-android-11610478890?mod=searchresults_pos2&page=1|archive-date=2021-03-12|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> The service was relatively unknown until a December 2018 tweet by conservative commentator and activist [[Candace Owens]] brought 40,000 new users to Parler, causing Parler's servers to malfunction.<ref name="Wants to be" /><ref name="Like a rally">{{Cite news|last=Nguyen|first=Tina|date=July 6, 2020|title='Parler feels like a Trump rally' – and MAGA world says that's a problem|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/06/trump-parler-rules-349434|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727235754/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/06/trump-parler-rules-349434|archive-date=July 27, 2020|access-date=October 19, 2020|work=[[Politico]]}}</ref> The service initially attracted some Republican personalities, including then-Trump campaign manager [[Brad Parscale]], [[Utah State Senate|Utah Senator]] [[Mike Lee]], and Trump attorney [[Rudy Giuliani]], as well as some who had been banned from other social media networks, such as right-leaning activists and commentators [[Gavin McInnes]], [[Laura Loomer]], and [[Milo Yiannopoulos]].<ref name="Reuters" /><ref name="POLITICO 28 May 2019" /> [[Reuters]] wrote that Parler had "mostly been a home for supporters of [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Donald Trump]]" until June 2019. Matze told the news organization that although he had originally intended Parler to be [[Bipartisanship|bipartisan]], he had focused its marketing efforts toward conservatives as they began to join the service.<ref name="Reuters" />

In May 2019, Parler had 100,000 users.<ref name="POLITICO 28 May 2019" /><ref name="Wants to be" /> In June 2019, Parler said its user base more than doubled after around 200,000 accounts from [[Saudi Arabia]] signed up to the network. Largely supporters of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince [[Mohammed bin Salman]], the users migrated from Twitter after alleging they were experiencing censorship on the platform. Although Twitter did not acknowledge removing posts by Saudi users that might have triggered the exodus, the company had previously deactivated hundreds of accounts that had been supportive of the Saudi government, which Twitter had described as "inauthentic" accounts in an "[[electronic army]]" pushing the Saudi government's agenda.<ref name="Reuters" /><ref name="slate">{{cite news |last=Brownlee |first=Chip |title=Saudis Fed Up With Twitter "Censorship" Jump Ship to a Pro-Trump Social Media Site |url=https://slate.com/technology/2019/06/thousands-saudi-twitter-users-crash-pro-trump-social-media.html |url-status=live |work=[[Slate (website)|Slate]] |date=June 14, 2020 |access-date=June 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625145333/https://slate.com/technology/2019/06/thousands-saudi-twitter-users-crash-pro-trump-social-media.html |archive-date=June 25, 2020}}</ref> The influx of new accounts to Parler caused some service interruptions, making the site at times unusable.<ref name="slate" /> Parler described the Saudi accounts as part of "the nationalist movement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia", and encouraged other users to welcome them to the service.<ref name="Reuters" /> Some of the Saudi users tweeted the '[[Make America Great Again|#MAGA]]' hashtag and photos of President Trump with the Saudi royal family in order to curry favor with the Trump-supporting and far-right users on the service.<ref name="slate" /> The Saudi accounts found a mixed reception among the existing user base; though some welcomed the Saudi users, others made [[Islamophobia|Islamophobic]] remarks, and some expressed beliefs that the new accounts were [[Social bot|bots]].<ref name="Reuters" />

===2020===
[[File:Dan_Bongino_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg|thumb|In June 2020, Dan Bongino (pictured) announced he had purchased an "ownership stake" in Parler.<ref name="colton"/> The company has declined to provide a full list of owners.<ref name="fortune"/>|320x320px]]
Parler experienced a surge in signups in mid-2020.<ref name="GOP Darling Isn't" /> In May, Twitter sparked outrage among President Trump and his supporters when it flagged some of the president's tweets about [[Postal voting|mail-in ballots]] as "potentially misleading", and a [[When the looting starts, the shooting starts#Donald Trump|tweet regarding the George Floyd protests]] as "glorifying violence".<ref name="Dicks Boobs or Poop" /><ref name="Already Banning Users">{{Cite news|last=Watts|first=Marina|date=June 30, 2020|title=Parler, the Ted Cruz-Approved 'Free Speech' App, is Already Banning Users|work=[[Newsweek]]|url=https://www.newsweek.com/parler-ted-cruz-approved-free-speech-app-already-banning-users-1514358|url-status=live|access-date=June 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705204629/https://www.newsweek.com/parler-ted-cruz-approved-free-speech-app-already-banning-users-1514358|archive-date=July 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Ghaffary|first=Shirin|date=July 30, 2020|title=Why Facebook and Twitter won't fact-check Trump's latest false claims about voting|url=https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/7/30/21348396/facebook-twitter-fact-check-trump-claims-mail-voting-2020-election|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802222629/https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/7/30/21348396/facebook-twitter-fact-check-trump-claims-mail-voting-2020-election|archive-date=August 2, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]}}</ref><ref name="Free speech is messy">{{Cite web|last=Abril|first=Danielle|date=July 1, 2020|title=Conservative social media darling Parler discovers that free speech is messy|url=https://fortune.com/2020/07/01/what-is-parler-conservative-free-speech-misinformation-hate-speech-john-matze/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813161411/https://fortune.com/2020/07/01/what-is-parler-conservative-free-speech-misinformation-hate-speech-john-matze/|archive-date=August 13, 2020|access-date=August 5, 2020|work=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]}}</ref> In response, Parler published a "Declaration of Internet Independence" modeled after the [[United States Declaration of Independence]], and began using the "#Twexit" hashtag (a portmanteau of "Twitter" and "[[Brexit]]"). Describing Twitter as a "Tech Tyrant" that censored conservatives, the campaign encouraged Twitter users to migrate to Parler.<ref name="why won't conservatives" /> Conservative commentator [[Dan Bongino]] announced on June 16 that he had purchased an "ownership stake" in Parler, in an effort to "fight back against" what he described as "Tech Tyrants" Facebook and Twitter.<ref name="colton">{{cite news|last1=Colton|first1=Emma|date=June 24, 2020|title=Conservatives fed up with 'censorship' on Twitter jump to Parler|work=[[Washington Examiner]]|url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/conservatives-fed-up-with-censorship-on-twitter-jump-to-parler|access-date=June 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630073348/https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/conservatives-fed-up-with-censorship-on-twitter-jump-to-parler|archive-date=June 30, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Parscale, who at the time was managing the Trump campaign, endorsed Parler in a tweet on June 18, also writing, "Hey @twitter your days are numbered", and including a screenshot of a tweet from President Trump which Twitter had flagged as "manipulated media".<ref name="GOP Darling Isn't" />

On June 19, right-wing English media personality [[Katie Hopkins]] was permanently suspended from Twitter for violating their policies on "hateful conduct".<ref name="newstatesman">{{Cite web|last=Manavis|first=Sarah|date=June 23, 2020|title=What is Parler? Inside the pro-Trump "unbiased" platform|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/social-media/2020/06/parler-trump-platform-katie-hopkins-social-media-twitter-alt-right|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625160427/https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/social-media/2020/06/parler-trump-platform-katie-hopkins-social-media-twitter-alt-right|archive-date=June 25, 2020|access-date=June 26, 2020|work=[[New Statesman]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=June 19, 2020|title=Katie Hopkins permanently suspended from Twitter|publisher=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53111295|url-status=live|access-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629204459/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53111295|archive-date=June 29, 2020}}</ref> An account falsely claiming to be hers appeared on Parler shortly after the ban, and was quickly verified by Parler. After collecting $500 in donations solicited on Parler to purportedly sue Twitter over the ban, Parler removed the impersonator account. A Twitter account affiliating itself with the [[Hacktivism|hacktivist]] group [[Anonymous (group)|Anonymous]] claimed responsibility for the imposture on June 20, and said they would donate the money they had collected to [[Black Lives Matter]] groups, a movement Hopkins had mocked in the past. Parler's then-CEO Matze made a public apology, with Parler acknowledging that the impersonator had been "verified by an employee improperly".<ref name="newstatesman" /> Hopkins herself joined Parler on June 20, with Matze posting that he had personally verified her account.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Goforth|first=Claire|date=June 22, 2020|title=After far-right pundit suspended from Twitter, impersonator raises money for BLM|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/katie-hopkins-impersonated-parler/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623152103/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/katie-hopkins-impersonated-parler/|archive-date=June 23, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|website=[[The Daily Dot]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Sugden|first=Maureen|date=June 26, 2020|title=Issue of the day: What is Parler?|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18541608.issue-day-parler/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627120218/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18541608.issue-day-parler/|archive-date=June 27, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]}}</ref> The incident drew some attention to Parler within the United Kingdom. Thirteen [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] had joined as of June 23, and some British right-wing and conservative activists endorsed the service over Twitter.<ref name="newstatesman" />

On June 24, 2020, ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported that the Trump campaign was looking for alternatives to social media networks that had restricted their posts and advertising, and that Parler was being considered.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Glazer|first1=Emily|last2=Bender|first2=Michael C.|date=June 24, 2020|title=Trump Campaign Weighs Alternatives to Big Social Platforms|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-campaign-weighs-alternatives-to-big-social-platforms-11593003602|url-status=live|access-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200708082957/https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-campaign-weighs-alternatives-to-big-social-platforms-11593003602|archive-date=July 8, 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="cnbc">{{cite news|last1=Levy|first1=Ari|date=June 27, 2020|title=Trump fans are flocking to the social media app Parler – its CEO is begging liberals to join them|publisher=CNBC|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/27/parler-ceo-wants-liberal-to-join-the-pro-trump-crowd-on-the-app.html|access-date=June 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627175132/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/27/parler-ceo-wants-liberal-to-join-the-pro-trump-crowd-on-the-app.html|archive-date=June 27, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Beginning in mid-2020, Parler negotiated with [[The Trump Organization]], offering a 40% stake in the social network in exchange for Trump making Parler his primary social media platform. As a part of the deal, Trump would have had to post all his content to Parler at least four hours before publishing it to other networks.<ref name="mac-gray" /> According to [[Michael Wolff (journalist)|Michael Wolff]], Trump representatives also included the condition that Parler ban anyone speaking negatively about Trump, which Parler did not accept.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Peters|first=Jay|date=2021-06-28|title=Parler reportedly refused to ban Trump's critics as part of discussions to bring him onboard|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/28/22554880/parler-ban-trump-criticize-book-excerpt|access-date=2021-07-03|website=The Verge|language=en}}</ref> The [[White House Counsel]]'s office reportedly halted the negotiations on the grounds that such a partnership would violate ethics rules as long as Trump was president. The general counsel for the [[Nonpartisanism|nonpartisan]] watchdog non-profit [[Project On Government Oversight]], Scott Amey, said there ought to be an "immediate criminal investigation" into the Trump administration over the negotiations.<ref name="mac-gray" />

Texas Senator [[Ted Cruz]] published a [[YouTube]] video on June 25, in which he denounced other social media platforms for "flagrantly silencing those with whom they disagree" and announced that he was "proud to join Parler".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lima|first=Cristiano|date=June 25, 2020|title=Cruz joins alternative social media site Parler in swipe at big tech platforms|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/25/ted-cruz-joins-parler-339811|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702062308/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/25/ted-cruz-joins-parler-339811|archive-date=July 2, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|work=[[Politico]]}}</ref> Other prominent Republican and conservative figures also joined in June, including Ohio Representative [[Jim Jordan (American politician)|Jim Jordan]], New York Representative [[Elise Stefanik]], and former U.N. ambassador [[Nikki Haley]].<ref name="cnbc" />

[[Jair Bolsonaro]], the right-wing [[President of Brazil]], joined Parler on July 13;<ref>{{Cite news|last=Boadle|first=Anthony|date=September 27, 2017|title=Far-right presidential hopeful aims to be Brazil's Trump|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-politics-bolsonaro-interview-idUSKCN1C2384|url-status=live|access-date=August 4, 2020|archive-date=November 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110033915/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-politics-bolsonaro-interview-idUSKCN1C2384}}</ref><ref name="adotada por Bolsonaro" /> Four months earlier in March 2020, Twitter had removed some of President Bolsonaro's posts for violating their rules on spreading [[COVID-19 misinformation|disinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="adotada por Bolsonaro">{{Cite web|last=Oliveira|first=Felipe|date=July 13, 2020|title=Parler: rede social adotada por Bolsonaro facilita circulação de fake news|trans-title=Parler: Bolsonaro's social network facilitates circulation of fake news|url=https://www.uol.com.br/tilt/noticias/redacao/2020/07/13/parler-rede-social-adotada-por-bolsonaro-deixa-espaco-para-desinformacao.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717022256/https://www.uol.com.br/tilt/noticias/redacao/2020/07/13/parler-rede-social-adotada-por-bolsonaro-deixa-espaco-para-desinformacao.htm|archive-date=July 17, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|website=[[Universo Online]]|language=pt-br}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lyons|first=Kim|date=March 30, 2020|title=Twitter removes tweets by Brazil, Venezuela presidents for violating COVID-19 content rules|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/30/21199845/twitter-tweets-brazil-venezuela-presidents-covid-19-coronavirus-jair-bolsonaro-maduro|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630105333/https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/30/21199845/twitter-tweets-brazil-venezuela-presidents-covid-19-coronavirus-jair-bolsonaro-maduro|archive-date=June 30, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Earlier in July, his son [[Flávio Bolsonaro]] had endorsed Parler on Twitter. As a result, Parler experienced a wave of signups from Brazil in July.<ref name="adotada por Bolsonaro" /> According to ''[[Bloomberg News]]'' on July 15, 2020, Brazilian users made up over half of all Parler signups that month.<ref name="GOP Darling Isn't" />

On October 1, 2020, Reuters reported that people associated with the [[Russia]]n [[Internet Research Agency]], a group known for their [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|interference in the 2016 presidential election]], had been operating social media accounts on both mainstream and [[alt-tech]] platforms. One of the accounts, named Leo, identified in an FBI probe as a "key asset in an alleged [[Cyberwarfare by Russia|Russian disinformation campaign]]", had been spreading "familiar and completely false" information, including claims that mail-in voting was prone to fraud, that President Trump was infected with [[Coronavirus disease 2019|coronavirus]] by leftist activists, and that Democratic presidential candidate [[Joe Biden]] was a "sexual predator".<ref name=":102">{{Cite news|last=Timberg|first=Craig|date=October 7, 2020|title=Parler and Gab, two conservative social media sites, keep alleged Russian disinformation up, despite report|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/10/07/russian-trolls-graphika-parler-gab/|url-status=live|access-date=October 24, 2020|archive-date=October 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019020956/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/10/07/russian-trolls-graphika-parler-gab/}}</ref> ''[[Axios (website)|Axios]]'' reported that the account had not found much of an audience on mainstream platforms, but had caught on among the alt-tech platforms; the Twitter account had fewer than 200 followers, but had 14,000 on Parler.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dorfman|first=Zach|date=October 7, 2020|title=Russia eyes far-right U.S. social media networks|url=https://www.axios.com/russia-eyes-far-right-us-social-media-networks-203ae482-fa2f-4f62-8ce1-b798c56140e4.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010161939/https://www.axios.com/russia-eyes-far-right-us-social-media-networks-203ae482-fa2f-4f62-8ce1-b798c56140e4.html|archive-date=October 10, 2020|access-date=October 24, 2020|work=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]}}</ref> Facebook, Twitter, and [[LinkedIn]] all took actions to suspend the accounts from their platforms.<ref name=":112">{{Cite news|last=Stubbs|first=Jack|date=October 1, 2020|title=Exclusive: Russian operation masqueraded as right-wing news site to target U.S. voters – sources|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-russia-disinformation-idUSKBN26M5OP|url-status=live|access-date=October 25, 2020|archive-date=October 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026210453/https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-russia-disinformation-idUSKBN26M5OP}}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported on October{{nbs}}7 that Parler had declined to terminate the account after being informed of its connections to the [[disinformation]] organization, stating they did not need to act because they had not been contacted directly by U.S. law enforcement.<ref name=":102" />

Also in October, as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube acted to ban content supporting the far-right [[QAnon|QAnon conspiracy theory]],<ref name="QAnon"/> thousands of QAnon proponents migrated to Parler.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Craig|last1=Timberg|first2=Isaac|last2=Stanley-Becker|access-date=November 23, 2020|title=QAnon learns to survive – and even thrive – after Silicon Valley's crackdown|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/10/28/qanon-crackdown-election/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|archive-date=November 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119211233/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/10/28/qanon-crackdown-election/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BBC-2020-11-09">{{Cite news |last=Sardarizadeh |first=Shayan |date=November 9, 2020 |title=Parler 'free speech' app tops charts in wake of Trump defeat |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54873800 |url-status=live |access-date=November 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109235624/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54873800 |archive-date=November 9, 2020}}</ref> Similar actions by Facebook against organizations promoting violence prompted some members of the [[Proud Boys]] and adherents of the [[boogaloo movement]] to move to Parler.<ref name="BBC-2020-11-09" />

Parler experienced a wave of signups following the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 U.S. presidential election]] from American conservatives, concerned that their posts{{snd}}or those of other conservatives on mainstream social networks{{snd}}would be affected by the platforms' efforts to quash misinformation about the election.<ref name="BBC-2020-11-09" /><ref name="Infecting Facebook">{{Cite web|last=Schiffer|first=Zoe|date=November 6, 2020|title='Stop the Steal' spreads across the internet after infecting Facebook|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/6/21552752/facebook-stopthesteal-ban-twitter-parler-discord-trump|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108013925/https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/6/21552752/facebook-stopthesteal-ban-twitter-parler-discord-trump|archive-date=November 8, 2020|access-date=November 8, 2020|website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref><ref name="Ingram-NBC">{{Cite news|last=Ingram|first=David|date=November 10, 2020|title=A Twitter for conservatives? Parler surges amid election misinformation crackdown|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/twitter-conservatives-parler-surges-amid-election-misinformation-crackdown-n1247333|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114212319/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/twitter-conservatives-parler-surges-amid-election-misinformation-crackdown-n1247333|archive-date=November 14, 2020|access-date=November 13, 2020|publisher=[[NBC News]]}}</ref> The app was downloaded nearly a million times in the week following [[Election Day (United States)|Election Day]] on November 3, and rose to the top of both the Apple App Store's and the Google Play Store's lists of most popular free apps. Following the election, ''[[The Verge]]'' reported that Parler had become a "central hub for many of the conservative protests against recent election results", including the [[Stop the Steal|Stop the Steal conspiracy theory]], which alleged widespread electoral fraud in the 2020 presidential election.<ref name="Brandom-TheVerge">{{Cite web|last=Brandom|first=Russell|date=November 9, 2020|title=Parler, a conservative Twitter clone, has seen nearly 1 million downloads since Election Day|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/9/21557219/parler-conservative-app-download-new-users-moderation-bias|access-date=November 9, 2020|website=[[The Verge]]|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109222652/https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/9/21557219/parler-conservative-app-download-new-users-moderation-bias|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Stop the Steal"/> The surge had largely abated by December 2020, with downloads of the app returning to numbers similar to before the election.<ref name="Playgrounds not sustaining" /><ref name="Explosive growth is over" /> According to findings from [[Stanford University|Stanford]] researchers published on January 28, 2021, Parler registered 7,029 new users per minute during the election.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shalvey|first=Kevin|date=2021-01-29|title=Parler registered 7,029 new users per minute during the November election, say Stanford researchers|work=Business Insider|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-user-growth-spiked-during-the-november-us-election-2021-1?op=1|url-status=live|access-date=2021-02-02|archive-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215184200/https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-user-growth-spiked-during-the-november-us-election-2021-1?op=1}}</ref>

A verified account on Parler claiming to be [[Ron Watkins]], the former site administrator of [[8chan]] and son of 8chan owner [[Jim Watkins (businessman)|Jim Watkins]], made several posts on November 15, 2020, appearing to confirm [[Jim Watkins (businessman)#QAnon|theories that his father was Q]], the anonymous figure behind the QAnon conspiracy theory.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stanley|first=Alyse|date=November 15, 2020|title=Wait, Did Ron Watkins Just Rat Out His Dad, 8Kun's Jim Watkins, as Q?|url=https://gizmodo.com/wait-did-ron-watkins-just-rat-his-dad-out-as-q-1845683225|access-date=December 12, 2020|website=[[Gizmodo]]|archive-date=December 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217051138/https://gizmodo.com/wait-did-ron-watkins-just-rat-his-dad-out-as-q-1845683225|url-status=live}}</ref> It was later determined that security researcher [[Aubrey Cottle]] had taken advantage of Parler security flaws to change the name of an already-verified Parler account, giving it the appearance of belonging to and having been verified as Watkins.<ref name="Grumbling told us" /> This incident led to a feud between Watkins and Parler investor Dan Bongino, with Watkins publicly criticizing Parler's security on Twitter and describing the service as "compromised". Bongino responded by tweeting insults at Watkins.<ref name="Even Qanon Abandons" /><ref name="War with Bongino">{{Cite web|last=Rothschild|first=Mike|date=December 11, 2020|title=Why 8kun's former admin is at war with right-wing star Dan Bongino|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/ron-watkins-dan-bongino-parler/|access-date=December 12, 2020|website=[[The Daily Dot]]|archive-date=December 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211183138/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/ron-watkins-dan-bongino-parler/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2021===
Parler was among the social media services used to plan the [[2021 United States Capitol attack|storming of the U.S. Capitol]] on January 6, 2021.<ref name="Violent threats">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/05/parler-telegram-violence-dc-protests/ |title=Pro-Trump forums erupt with violent threats ahead of Wednesday's rally against the 2020 election |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 5, 2021 |first1=Craig |last1=Timberg |first2=Drew |last2=Harwell |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106010607/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/05/parler-telegram-violence-dc-protests/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Organized on social">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/protesters-storm-capitol-hill-building.html |title=The storming of Capitol Hill was organized on social media |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 6, 2021 |first=Sheera |last=Frenkel |access-date=January 6, 2021 |quote=On social media sites requested by the far-right, such as Gab and Parler, directions on which streets to take to avoid the police and which tools to bring to help pry open doors were exchanged in comments. At least a dozen people posted about carrying guns into the halls of Congress. |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106220539/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/protesters-storm-capitol-hill-building.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BBC-suspend">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55598887 |title=Google suspends 'free speech' app Parler |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=January 9, 2021 |access-date=January 9, 2021 |quote=In the days preceding the Capitol riots, the tone of discussion on the app became significantly more violent, with some users openly discussing ways to stop the certification of Joe Biden's victory by Congress. |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109011735/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55598887 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/01/08/far-right-insurrectionists-organized-capitol-siege-parler |title=Far-Right Insurrectionists Organized Capitol Siege on Parler |website=[[Southern Poverty Law Center#SPLC Hatewatch (blog)|Hatewatch]] |publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] |date=January 8, 2021 |access-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109000643/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/01/08/far-right-insurrectionists-organized-capitol-siege-parler |url-status=live}}</ref> On January 2, Parler notified the FBI about material that Parler's lawyers found sufficiently alarming to warrant law enforcement attention, including posts by a user who declared that January 6 would be "the final stand where we are drawing the red line at Capitol Hill".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/warnings-jan-6-insurrection/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |title=Warnings of violence before Jan. 6 precipitated the Capitol riot |access-date=November 1, 2021 |date=October 31, 2021}}</ref> On January 5, the [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] warned the [[United States Capitol Police|Capitol Police]] about an individual who intended to attend the rally and incite violence, and whose Parler posts included threats of violence against police.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/25/secret-service-warned-capitol-police-violent-threats-january-riot-506806 |title=Secret Service warned Capitol Police about violent threats 1 day before Jan. 6 |website=Politico |date=August 25, 2021 |access-date=August 25, 2021 |first1=Betsy |last1=Woodruff Swan |first2=Nicholas |last2=Wu |authorlink1=Betsy Woodruff Swan }}</ref> Mentions of "civil war" on Parler increased fourfold in the hours just prior to the storming.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2021/02/01/civil-war-during-trumps-pre-riot-speech-parler-talk-grew-darker/4297165001/ |title=When Trump started his speech before the Capitol riot, talk on Parler turned to civil war |website=[[USA Today]] |date=February 1, 2021 |access-date=February 1, 2021 |first1=Aleszu |last1=Bajak |first2=Jessica |last2=Guynn |first3=Mitchell |last3=Thorson |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201113605/https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2021/02/01/civil-war-during-trumps-pre-riot-speech-parler-talk-grew-darker/4297165001/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to ''[[BuzzFeed News]]'', after the riot at the Capitol, Parler had been "overrun" with death threats, encouragement of violence, and calls for Trump supporters to join another armed march on Washington, D.C. on the day before the [[inauguration of Joe Biden]].<ref name="Amazon Booting" /> Activists, including [[Sleeping Giants]], and employees of technology companies that had been providing services to Parler began to pressure those companies, which included Google, Apple, and Amazon, to deny service to Parler.<ref name="Struggles Survival" />

Parler experienced a wave of downloads after [[Social media use by Donald Trump#Permanent suspension|Twitter permanently suspended President Donald Trump]] from their platform due to his remarks about the storming of the Capitol. This led Parler to become the top downloaded app on the Apple App Store on January 8.<ref name="Shieber Techcrunch Jumps">{{Cite web|last=Shieber|first=Jonathan|date=January 9, 2021|title=Parler jumps to No. 1 on App Store after Facebook and Twitter ban Trump|url=https://social.techcrunch.com/2021/01/09/parler-jumps-to-no-1-on-app-store-after-facebook-and-twitter-bans/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110062005/https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/09/parler-jumps-to-no-1-on-app-store-after-facebook-and-twitter-bans/|archive-date=January 10, 2021|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=[[TechCrunch]]}}</ref>

====Shutdown by service providers====
{{2021 United States Capitol attack|expanded=Corporate actions}}
On January 8, two days after the storming of the Capitol, Google announced that it was pulling Parler from the Google Play Store, contending that its lack of "moderation policies and enforcement" posed a "public safety threat".<ref name="Google suspends">{{Cite news|last=Chen|first=Shawna|date=January 8, 2021|title=Google suspends Parler from app store after deadly U.S. Capitol violence|url=https://www.axios.com/capitol-mob-parler-google-ban-826d808d-3e06-4468-a7c6-6157557818b3.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109005407/https://www.axios.com/capitol-mob-parler-google-ban-826d808d-3e06-4468-a7c6-6157557818b3.html|archive-date=January 9, 2021|access-date=January 9, 2021|work=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]}}</ref><ref name="Pulls Parler">{{Cite web|last=Peters|first=Jay|date=January 8, 2021|title=Google pulls Parler from Play Store for fostering calls to violence|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/8/22221648/google-suspends-bans-parler-play-store|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109005841/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/8/22221648/google-suspends-bans-parler-play-store|archive-date=January 9, 2021|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Also on January 8, Apple informed Parler that they had received complaints about its role in the coordination of the riot in Washington D.C., the existence of "objectionable content" on the service, and that they had observed that "the app also appears to continue to be used to plan and facilitate yet further illegal and dangerous activities," in violation of Parler's own guidelines forbidding such content. Apple requested Parler submit a "moderation improvement plan" within 24 hours or face removal from the App Store. On Parler, Matze posted that Parler would not "cave to pressure", and accused Apple of being [[Anti-competitive practices|anti-competitive]].<ref name="Apple Threatened">{{Cite news|last1=Mac|first1=Ryan|last2=Paczkowski|first2=John|date=January 8, 2021|title=Apple Has Threatened To Ban Parler From The App Store|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/apple-threatens-ban-parler|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108225058/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/apple-threatens-ban-parler|archive-date=January 8, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021|work=[[BuzzFeed News]]}}</ref> Apple followed through with their warning the next day, removing Parler from the App Store on January 9.<ref name="Bowman NPR Drop">{{Cite news|last=Bowman|first=Emma|date=January 9, 2021|title=Amazon And Apple Drop Parler|publisher=[[NPR]]|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/09/955329265/amazon-and-apple-drop-parler|url-status=live|access-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110043937/https://www.npr.org/2021/01/09/955329265/amazon-and-apple-drop-parler|archive-date=January 10, 2021}}</ref> Ahead of the shutdown, some Parler users issued calls for violence and armed protests at state capitols and circulated conspiracy theories about Apple.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Parler Users Prepare for Site Shutdown with Conspiracy Theories, Threats|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/parler-users-prepare-for-site-shutdown-with-conspiracy-theories-threats|access-date=2021-02-16|website=Anti-Defamation League|language=en}}</ref> Apple CEO [[Tim Cook]] later explained that in the company's view, "free speech and incitement of violence" do not have "an intersection".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Choudhary|first=Vidhi|date=January 15, 2021|title=Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Parler Suspension and Free Speech Unrelated|url=https://www.thestreet.com/investing/apple-chief-tim-cook-says-parler-suspension-and-free-speech-unrelated|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115211047/https://www.thestreet.com/investing/apple-chief-tim-cook-says-parler-suspension-and-free-speech-unrelated|archive-date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=[[TheStreet]]}}</ref> [[Cloud communications]] company [[Twilio]] ended service to Parler, which made the service's [[Multi-factor authentication|two-factor authentication]] system stop working; [[Okta (identity management)|Okta]] also denied them access to their identity management service, resulting in Parler losing access to some of their software tools.<ref name="Struggles Survival" /> In addition, the database company [[Scylla (database)|ScyllaDB]] terminated its relationship with Parler, who had been using Scylla's Enterprise database.<ref name="Culliford Reuters">{{cite news|last=Culliford|first=Elizabeth|date=January 13, 2020|title=Exclusive: Parler CEO says social media app, favored by Trump supporters, may not return|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-parler-exclusive/exclusive-parler-ce%5B%E2%80%A6%5D-app-favored-by-trump-supporters-may-not-return-idUSKBN29I2Z7|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113224025/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-parler-exclusive/exclusive-parler-ce%5B%E2%80%A6%5D-app-favored-by-trump-supporters-may-not-return-idUSKBN29I2Z7|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 13, 2021|access-date=January 13, 2020}}</ref>

On January 9, Amazon announced that it would suspend Parler from Amazon Web Services, effective at 11:59{{nbs}}p.m. [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]] the next day. Echoing Google's rationale for dropping its version of the Parler app, Amazon said Parler's failure to police violent content made the site "a very real risk to public safety".<ref name="Amazon Booting" /><ref name="Palmer CNBC citing">{{Cite news|last=Palmer|first=Annie|date=January 10, 2021|title=Amazon to drop Parler from its web hosting service, citing violent posts|publisher=[[CNBC]]|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/09/amazon-drops-parler-from-its-web-hosting-service.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023409/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/09/amazon-drops-parler-from-its-web-hosting-service.html|archive-date=January 12, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Spangler Variety Risk">{{Cite web|last1=Spangler|first1=Todd|date=January 10, 2021|title=Amazon to Suspend Hosting Services for Parler, Saying App 'Poses a Very Real Risk to Public Safety'|url=https://variety.com/2021/politics/news/amazon-aws-suspends-parler-hosting-violence-risk-1234882041/|access-date=January 10, 2021|work=Variety|archive-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023422/https://variety.com/2021/politics/news/amazon-aws-suspends-parler-hosting-violence-risk-1234882041/|url-status=live}}</ref> Parler went offline when Amazon withdrew its [[cloud computing]] services as scheduled.<ref name="BBC-offline" /><ref>{{Cite news |last1=García-Hodges |first1=Ahiza |last2=Romero |first2=Dennis |title=Parler goes dark after Amazon suspends server hosting |date=January 11, 2021 |publisher=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/amazon-suspends-hosting-parler-its-servers-citing-violent-content-n1253648 |url-status=live |access-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023404/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/amazon-suspends-hosting-parler-its-servers-citing-violent-content-n1253648}}</ref> On January 11, Parler sued Amazon under [[Competition law|antitrust law]], saying the suspension of services was "apparently motivated by political animus", and had been carried out with the intention of benefiting Twitter by reducing competition.<ref>{{cite news |title=Parler sues Amazon over removal from web hosting service, alleges political animus |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-parler/parler-sues-amazon-over-removal-from-web-hosting-service-alleges-political-animus-idUSKBN29G282?il=0 |access-date=11 January 2021 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=11 January 2021 |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023413/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-parler/parler-sues-amazon-over-removal-from-web-hosting-service-alleges-political-animus-idUSKBN29G282?il=0 |url-status=live}}</ref> U.S. District Judge [[Barbara Jacobs Rothstein|Barbara Rothstein]] ruled in Amazon's favor ten days later.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/21/956486352/judge-refuses-to-reinstate-parler-after-amazon-shut-it-down |title=Judge Refuses To Reinstate Parler After Amazon Shut It Down |website=[[NPR]] |date=January 21, 2021 |access-date=January 21, 2021 |first=Bobby |last=Allyn |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121204100/https://www.npr.org/2021/01/21/956486352/judge-refuses-to-reinstate-parler-after-amazon-shut-it-down |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-parler/parler-loses-bid-to-require-amazon-to-restore-service-idUSKBN29Q2T3 |title=Parler loses bid to require Amazon to restore service |website=[[Reuters]] |date=January 21, 2021 |access-date=January 21, 2021 |first1=Elizabeth |last1=Culliford |first2=Jonathan |last2=Stempel |archive-date=February 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215184151/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-parler/parler-loses-bid-to-require-amazon-to-restore-service-idUSKBN29Q2T3 |url-status=live }}</ref> Parler also denied Amazon's claims that it failed to properly moderate content.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Bashinsky|first=Ruth|date=2021-02-18|title=Parler Is Back Online With New Redesign and User Guidelines|url=https://www.insideedition.com/parler-is-back-online-with-new-redesign-and-user-guidelines-64973|access-date=2021-02-22|website=[[Inside Edition]]|language=en-US}}</ref> On March 2, Parler withdrew a federal antitrust lawsuit they had filed against Amazon two months prior, but filed a new lawsuit against the company in state court. The new lawsuit alleged Amazon had breached terms in their contract and defamed Parler.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Brandom|first=Russell|date=March 3, 2021|title=Parler drops federal lawsuit against Amazon – but files another in state court|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/3/22310873/parler-amazon-aws-lawsuit-antitrust-hosting-free-speech|access-date=March 3, 2021|website=[[The Verge]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Miller|first=Hugo|date=March 3, 2021|title=Parler Sues Amazon Again, Saying It Stifled Free Speech|language=en|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-03/parler-sues-amazon-again-saying-it-tried-to-stifle-free-speech|access-date=March 5, 2021}}</ref> Amid the lawsuit, in mid-April 2021, Amazon accused Parler of trying to conceal its ownership.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2021-04-14|title=Amazon claims social network Parler trying to conceal owners|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/amazon-claims-social-network-parler-conceal-owners-77068066|access-date=2021-04-20|website=ABC News|publisher=Associated Press|language=en}}</ref> On September 17, 2021, [[Seattle]] federal district Judge [[Barbara Jacobs Rothstein|Barbara Rothstein]] approved Parler's request that its complaint against Amazon be heard in [[King County Superior Court]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-09-17|title=Parler's dispute with Amazon headed back to King County Superior Court|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/parlers-dispute-with-amazon-headed-back-to-king-county-superior-court/|access-date=2021-09-22|website=The Seattle Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

Some applauded the technology companies' decisions to deny service to Parler. Others raised concerns about private enterprises determining what remains online. [[Ben Wizner]], a lawyer for the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] (ACLU), told ''The New York Times'' that he was concerned about neutrality when it came to Internet infrastructure providers such as Amazon AWS and app stores.<ref name="Nicas Alba NYT 2021-01-10">{{Cite news|last1=Nicas|first1=Jack|last2=Alba|first2=Davey|date=January 10, 2021|title=How Parler, a Chosen App of Trump Fans, Became a Test of Free Speech|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/technology/parler-app-trump-free-speech.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023423/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/technology/parler-app-trump-free-speech.html|archive-date=January 12, 2021}}</ref> Evelyn Douek, a lecturer and content moderation researcher at Harvard Law School, told ''The Wall Street Journal'' she thought an argument could be made to defend the infrastructure providers' decision to deny service to platforms who do not adequately moderate content, but wondered if similar amounts of violent content might exist elsewhere in platforms they were serving.<ref name="Struggles Survival" /> [[Paul Levinson]], a professor at [[Fordham University]], wrote in ''[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]]'' that although he believed the de-platforming violated the "spirit of the First Amendment", it was warranted due to the incitement to violence on the Parler site.<ref name="convo">{{cite news |last1=Levinson |first1=Paul |title=I'm a First Amendment scholar – and I think Big Tech should be left alone |url=https://theconversation.com/im-a-first-amendment-scholar-and-i-think-big-tech-should-be-left-alone-153287 |access-date=26 January 2021 |work=The Conversation |date=20 January 2021 |language=en |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126110658/https://theconversation.com/im-a-first-amendment-scholar-and-i-think-big-tech-should-be-left-alone-153287 |url-status=live }}</ref>

After the shutdown, Parler users were reported to have migrated to other alt-tech websites including [[BitChute]], Clapper, CloutHub, [[DLive]], [[Gab (social network)|Gab]], [[MeWe]], [[Minds (social network)|Minds]], [[Rumble (website)|Rumble]], and [[Wimkin]], as well as encrypted messaging services including [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]] and [[Signal (software)|Signal]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Jason |title=Rightwingers flock to 'alt tech' networks as mainstream sites ban Trump |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/social-media-trump-ban-alt-tech-far-right |access-date=January 13, 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=January 13, 2021 |archive-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113081732/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/social-media-trump-ban-alt-tech-far-right |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":211">{{Cite news|last=Parker|first=Bryan C.|date=January 15, 2021|title=The next Parler: I tried four apps attracting right-wing users|url=https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/parler-replacement-rumble-mewe-telegram-wimkin-15871616.php|url-status=live|access-date=January 16, 2021|work=[[SFGate]]|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115121511/https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/parler-replacement-rumble-mewe-telegram-wimkin-15871616.php}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/28/22254411/clapper-parler-gab-qanon-tiktok-free-speech |title=With Parler down, QAnon moves onto a 'free speech' TikTok clone |website=[[The Verge]] |date=January 28, 2021 |access-date=February 1, 2021 |first=Makena |last=Kelly |archive-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131181044/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/28/22254411/clapper-parler-gab-qanon-tiktok-free-speech |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Content scraping====
Following the storming of the Capitol and just before Parler went offline, a researcher [[Web scraping|scraped]] roughly eight [[terabyte]]s of public Parler posts. The posts scraped made up 99% of publicly-accessible Parler posts, including more than a million videos, which maintained [[GPS]] [[metadata]] identifying the exact locations where the videos were recorded. The researcher said her intention was to make a public record of "very incriminating" evidence against those who took part in the storming. The data dump was posted online, and the researcher has said the data will eventually be made available by the [[Internet Archive]].<ref name="Every deleted post">{{Cite web|last=Cameron|first=Dell|date=January 11, 2021|title=Every Deleted Parler Post, Many With Users' Location Data, Has Been Archived|url=https://gizmodo.com/every-deleted-parler-post-many-with-users-location-dat-1846032466|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023405/https://gizmodo.com/every-deleted-parler-post-many-with-users-location-dat-1846032466|archive-date=January 12, 2021|access-date=January 11, 2021|website=[[Gizmodo]]}}</ref><ref name="Back to haunt">{{Cite web|last=Goodin|first=Dan|date=January 12, 2021|title=Parler's amateur coding could come back to haunt Capitol Hill rioters|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/01/parlers-amateur-coding-could-come-back-to-haunt-capitol-hill-rioters/|access-date=January 12, 2021|work=Ars Technica|archive-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112135008/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/01/parlers-amateur-coding-could-come-back-to-haunt-capitol-hill-rioters/|url-status=live}}</ref> According to ''[[Ars Technica]]'' and ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'', the reason the researcher was able to scrape the data so easily was because the Parler website had poor coding and poor security.<ref name="Back to haunt" /><ref name="Absurdly Basic Bug" /> According to ''Wired'', although all posts downloaded by the researcher were public, because Parler did not scrub metadata, [[World Geodetic System|GPS coordinates]] of many users' homes had likely been exposed.<ref name="Absurdly Basic Bug" /> As of January 15, 2021, ''[[Gizmodo]]'' had mapped out the locations of around 70,000 of the GPS coordinates linked to videos scraped from Parler.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Cameron|first1=Dell|last2=Mehrotra|first2=Dhruv|date=January 15, 2021|title=Leaked Parler Data Points to Users at Police Stations, U.S. Military Bases|url=https://gizmodo.com/leaked-parler-data-points-to-users-at-police-stations-1846059897|url-status=live|access-date=January 15, 2021|website=Gizmodo|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115193028/https://gizmodo.com/leaked-parler-data-points-to-users-at-police-stations-1846059897}}</ref> Videos scraped from Parler were used as evidence during the [[second impeachment trial of Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-riot-videos-parler-impeachment-b1801019.html |title=Videos used as evidence in Trump impeachment trial gathered from Parler by anonymous 'hacktivist' |website=[[The Independent]] |first=James |last=Crump |date=February 11, 2021 |access-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212005735/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-riot-videos-parler-impeachment-b1801019.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Investigations====
On January 21, 2021, the chairwoman of the [[United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform|House Oversight and Reform Committee]], [[Carolyn Maloney]], called for an FBI probe into Parler, including its role in the storming of the Capitol. Maloney said her committee intends to open an investigation into Parler.<ref name="House Oversight">{{Cite news|last1=Hamburger|first1=Tom|last2=Timberg|first2=Craig|title=House Oversight Committee chairwoman requests FBI probe of Parler, including its role in Capitol siege|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/21/parler-fbi-russia-jan-6-capitol/|access-date=2021-02-08|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=January 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122204054/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/21/parler-fbi-russia-jan-6-capitol/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kelly|first=Makena|date=2021-01-21|title=House leader calls for FBI investigation into Parler|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/21/22242595/house-oversight-parler-fbi-investigation-carolyn-maloney-chris-wray|access-date=2021-01-21|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215184153/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/21/22242595/house-oversight-parler-fbi-investigation-carolyn-maloney-chris-wray|url-status=live}}</ref> On February 8, 2021, the committee asked Parler for information relating to who owns or has funded the company, any business ties to Russia, and its alleged offer of an ownership interest in the company to former president Donald Trump during his term.<ref name="House Oversight"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Brodkin|first=Jon|date=February 8, 2021|title=Parler's ownership offer to Trump and possible Russian ties probed by Congress|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/02/parlers-ownership-offer-to-trump-and-possible-russian-ties-probed-by-congress/|url-status=live|access-date=February 9, 2021|website=[[Ars Technica]]|language=en-us|archive-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208235733/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/02/parlers-ownership-offer-to-trump-and-possible-russian-ties-probed-by-congress/}}</ref>

On August 27, 2021, the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] [[United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack|select committee]] investigating the storming of the Capitol demanded records from Parler (alongside 14 other social media companies) going back to the spring of 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Breuninger|first1=Kevin|last2=Wilkie|first2=Christina|date=2021-08-27|title=Congressional panel investigating Jan. 6 insurrection demands records from Facebook, Twitter, other tech firms|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/27/congressional-committee-investigating-jan-6-insurrection-demands-records-from-facebook-twitter-and-other-tech-giants.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-30|website=CNBC|language=en}}</ref>

====Departure of John Matze====
Parler's board, led by Rebekah Mercer, dismissed John Matze from his role as Parler's CEO on January 29.<ref name=MSN4feb2021>{{Cite web|title=Ousted Parler CEO Says He Wanted a Moderation Policy, But Rebekah Mercer Vetoed Him: 'I Got Silenced'|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ousted-parler-ceo-says-he-wanted-a-moderation-policy-but-rebekah-mercer-vetoed-him-e2-80-98i-got-silenced-e2-80-99/ar-BB1douRu|access-date=2021-02-05|date=2021-02-04|first=Rudy|last=Takala|website=www.msn.com|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204210747/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ousted-parler-ceo-says-he-wanted-a-moderation-policy-but-rebekah-mercer-vetoed-him-e2-80-98i-got-silenced-e2-80-99/ar-BB1douRu|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-04|title=Parler social network terminates CEO John Matze|url=http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/03/parler-social-network-terminates-ceo-john-matze|access-date=2021-02-05|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=February 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205054733/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/03/parler-social-network-terminates-ceo-john-matze|url-status=live}}</ref> Matze sent a memo to Parler staff in which he said that "I did not participate in this decision" to terminate him and that he had "met constant resistance to [his] product vision, [his] strong belief in free speech and [his] view of how the Parler site should be managed".<ref name=":1" /> In interviews following his firing, Matze noted that his termination may have been related to a dispute within the company regarding his belief that the company needed to "crack down" on domestic terrorism and violence and be "a little more pragmatic while still respecting free speech", but he was "not exactly sure" why he had been fired.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Flood|first=Brian|date=February 5, 2021|title=Former Parler CEO John Matze says he's 'not exactly sure why' he was terminated|url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/former-parler-ceo-john-matze-says-he-doesnt-understand-why-he-was-terminated|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205143633/https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/former-parler-ceo-john-matze-says-he-doesnt-understand-why-he-was-terminated|archive-date=February 5, 2021|access-date=February 5, 2021|website=[[FOX Business]]|language=en-US}}</ref> Matze also said his suggestion to implement a moderation policy to remove extremist content was overruled by Mercer.<ref name=MSN4feb2021/>

[[Amy Peikoff]], Parler's Chief Policy Officer, provided a statement to Fox News in which she disputed Matze's memo to staff as "inaccurate and misleading", though she did not specify to which statements she was objecting.<ref name="mac-gray" /><ref name=":3" /> Parler investor [[Dan Bongino]] published a video on Facebook after Matze's departure, accusing Matze of "really bad decisions" leading to Parler being taken offline and causing app stability issues, and saying that Matze "decided to make this public, not us. We were handling it like gentlemen."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hagey|first=Jeff Horwitz and Keach|date=February 4, 2021|title=Parler CEO Says He Was Fired as Platform Neared Restoring Service|language=en-US|work=[[Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/parler-ceo-says-he-was-fired-by-conservative-political-donor-rebekah-mercer-11612397380|url-status=live|access-date=February 5, 2021|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204235036/https://www.wsj.com/articles/parler-ceo-says-he-was-fired-by-conservative-political-donor-rebekah-mercer-11612397380}}</ref>

On February 19, Parler briefly banned Matze's account before restoring it later that day after ''BuzzFeed News'' contacted a Parler [[spokesperson]] about the banning.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Mac|first=Ryan|date=2021-02-19|title=Parler, A Social Media Platform That Stands For Free Speech, Temporarily Blocked Its Founder|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/parler-bans-former-ceo|access-date=2021-02-21|website=BuzzFeed News|language=en}}</ref> This banning came after Matze made a post on Parler asking his followers what they thought the "fair market value" of the company was.<ref name=":4" />

On March 22, in [[Clark County, Nevada|Clark County]], [[Nevada]], Matze filed a lawsuit against Parler's board, alleging that Rebekah Mercer and Parler's board members engaged in a scheme to steal Matze's share in Parler.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cox|first=Kate|date=2021-03-24|title=Ousted CEO Matze sues Parler, claims board robbed him of millions|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/03/ousted-ceo-matze-sues-parler-claims-board-robbed-him-of-millions/|access-date=2021-03-24|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us}}</ref>

==== Return online and subsequent events ====
Matze wrote in a Parler post on January{{nbs}}9 that Parler could be unavailable for a week as they worked to "rebuild from scratch" and move to a new service provider.<ref name="Bowman NPR Drop" /> In an interview with Fox News on January 10, Matze said Parler had faced trouble in finding a new service provider, contradicting a previous Parler post in which he had said many vendors were vying for their business.<ref name="Lawyers abandon CEO">{{Cite news|last=Peters|first=Jay|date=January 10, 2021|title=Parler CEO says even his lawyers are abandoning him|website=The Verge|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/10/22223956/parler-ceo-john-matze-lawyers-vendors-abandoning|url-status=live|access-date=January 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023404/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/10/22223956/parler-ceo-john-matze-lawyers-vendors-abandoning|archive-date=January 12, 2021}}</ref> He also said others had refused to work with Parler: "Every vendor, from text message services to email providers to our lawyers, all ditched us, too, on the same day."<ref name="Lawyers abandon CEO" /><ref name="Nicas Alba NYT 2021-01-10" /> Interviewed by Reuters on January 13, Matze said he did not know if or when Parler would return to operation.<ref name="Culliford Reuters" /> On January 17, Matze posted a message on the site's homepage, promising to "welcome all of you back soon".<ref name="Resurfaces Verge">{{Cite web|last=Lyons|first=Kim|date=January 17, 2021|title=Parler resurfaces on Sunday with an update message, but nothing else|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/17/22236178/parler-resurfaces-sunday-app-banned|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117233557/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/17/22236178/parler-resurfaces-sunday-app-banned|archive-date=January 17, 2021|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=The Verge}}</ref> Matze also claimed that Parler could be back online by the end of January.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Tyko|first=Kelly|date=January 18, 2021|title=Parler CEO John Matze says the conservative social media platform could return by end of January|work=USA Today|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/01/18/parler-app-conservative-platform-could-return-ceo-john-matze/4202517001/|url-status=live|access-date=January 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118164042/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/01/18/parler-app-conservative-platform-could-return-ceo-john-matze/4202517001/|archive-date=January 18, 2021}}</ref>

According to a January 12 ''Wall Street Journal'' report, other cloud hosting platforms that could potentially host Parler would be [[Google Cloud Platform]], [[Microsoft Azure]], or the [[Oracle Cloud]] platform. As of publication, Parler had not contacted Microsoft, and would not be using Oracle for cloud hosting; Google declined to comment, but the ''Journal'' noted that Google had denied Parler a position in the Play Store. The ''Journal'' also noted that Parler could consider using smaller cloud hosting companies, but that some technologists doubted such companies' ability to provide stable hosting to such a heavily used service. One such smaller provider, [[DigitalOcean]], let it be known that they would not accept Parler as a customer.<ref name="Complex, Costly">{{Cite news|last1=McMillan|first1=Robert|last2=Tilley|first2=Aaron|date=January 12, 2021|title=Parler Faces Complex, Costly Route to Getting Back Online|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/parler-faces-obstacles-to-getting-back-online-11610474343|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|access-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210113102035/https://www.wsj.com/articles/parler-faces-obstacles-to-getting-back-online-11610474343|archive-date=January 13, 2021}}</ref>

On January 10, Parler transferred their [[domain name]] registration to [[Epik]], a [[domain registrar]] and [[web host]]ing company known for hosting far-right websites such as Gab and ''[[Infowars]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Greenspan|first1=Rachel E.|title=Parler moves to Epik, a domain registrar known for hosting far-right extremist content|work=[[Business Insider]]|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-moves-to-epik-domain-known-for-hosting-far-right-2021-1|url-status=live|access-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112165414/https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-moves-to-epik-domain-known-for-hosting-far-right-2021-1|archive-date=January 12, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Complex, Costly" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Fung|first=Brian|date=January 17, 2021|title=Parler's website is back online with a brief message to 'lovers and haters'|publisher=CNN|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/17/tech/parler-back-online/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117210520/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/17/tech/parler-back-online/index.html|archive-date=January 17, 2021}}</ref> ''Vice'' noted that through this move, Amazon Web Services was again indirectly providing services to Parler, as Epik uses AWS to host many of their [[Name server|DNS servers]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gilbert|first=David|date=January 19, 2021|title=Parler Is Coming Back – With Some Russian Help|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx87q4/parler-is-coming-backwith-some-russian-help|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=[[Vice (website)|Vice]]|language=en|archive-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215184230/https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx87q4/parler-is-coming-backwith-some-russian-help|url-status=live}}</ref> On January 17, Parler brought their website back online, hosting only a static page without any of the functionality of the Parler service.<ref name="Resurfaces Verge" /> Parler's web hosting provider was unknown,<ref name="Reprieve in Russia">{{Cite magazine|last=Newman|first=Lily Hay|date=January 20, 2021|title=Parler Finds a Reprieve in Russia – but Not a Solution|language=en-us|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|url=https://www.wired.com/story/parler-russia-privacy/|url-status=live|access-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121020516/https://www.wired.com/story/parler-russia-privacy/|archive-date=January 21, 2021|issn=1059-1028}}</ref> but it was noted that they were receiving protection from [[Denial-of-service attack|distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks]] from the Russian-owned cloud services company [[DDoS-Guard]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Cox|first=Kate|date=January 18, 2021|title=Parler seems to be sliding back onto the Internet, but not onto mobile|work=Ars Technica|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/01/parler-ceo-brings-back-website-promises-service-will-follow-soon/|url-status=live|access-date=January 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118214659/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/01/parler-ceo-brings-back-website-promises-service-will-follow-soon/|archive-date=January 18, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=January 19, 2021|title=Parler website partially returns with support from Russian-owned technology firm|work=The Guardian|url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jan/19/parler-website-partially-returns-with-support-from-russian-owned-technology-firm|access-date=January 19, 2021|archive-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215184159/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jan/19/parler-website-partially-returns-with-support-from-russian-owned-technology-firm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Reprieve in Russia" /> This move was criticized in ''[[The New York Times]]'' and ''Wired'' as routing traffic through Russia, and may enable the Russian government to surveil Parler's users and provide data to Russia's [[Federal Security Service]] (FSB).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nicas|first1=Jack|date=20 January 2021|title=Parler Tries to Survive With Help From Russian Company|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/technology/parler-russian-company.html|url-status=live|access-date=20 January 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210120034042/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/technology/parler-russian-company.html|archive-date=January 20, 2021|quote=Alina Polyakova, head of the Center for European Policy Analysis, a foreign policy think tank in Washington, said Russia required many internet companies in the country to install technology that feeds the government a copy of much of the data that passes through their computer servers. The surveillance system, known as the System for Operative Investigative Activities, 'basically allows the Russian government to intercept any data on Russian territory and provide that data to the [[Federal Security Service#Role|F.S.B.]],' she said, adding that it is unclear whether DDoS-Guard would be subject to such surveillance.}}</ref><ref name="Reprieve in Russia" /> Both Epik and DDoS-Guard said they were not providing Parler with webhosting.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Klar|first=Rebecca|date=January 19, 2021|title=Parler receiving Russian firm's services as it gears up to relaunch|url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/534782-parler-receiving-russian-firms-services-as-it-gears-up-to-relaunch|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122204042/https://thehill.com/policy/technology/534782-parler-receiving-russian-firms-services-as-it-gears-up-to-relaunch|archive-date=January 22, 2021|access-date=January 20, 2021|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Reprieve in Russia" />

The Parler service returned online for existing users on February 15, with a redesigned website and logo, and said they would open the service to new signups the following week. Parler posts from before the service went offline are no longer available.<ref name="Verge online" /><ref name=":5" /> Parler announced that their redesigned site will monitor violent content with human and [[artificial intelligence]] and that they will hide posts that attack a person based on [[sex]], [[sexual orientation]], [[Race (human categorization)|race]], or [[religion]] with a "trolling filter", however, users are allowed to click through the filter and view the content.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mak|first=Aaron|date=2021-02-18|title=Parler Is Back and So Are Users Who Cheered on the Capitol Insurrection|url=https://slate.com/technology/2021/02/parler-capitol-riot-proud-boys-skysilk.html|access-date=2021-02-24|website=Slate|language=en}}</ref> Parler's new host is [[SkySilk Cloud Services]], a web infrastructure company based in [[Los Angeles]] who said of their hosting of Parler that "Skysilk does not advocate nor condone hate, rather, it advocates the right to private judgment and rejects the role of being the judge, jury, and executioner."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Grothaus|first=Michael|date=2021-02-16|title=Here's the rationale for SkySilk enabling Parler to get back online|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90604945/heres-the-rationale-for-skysilk-enabling-parler-to-get-back-online|access-date=2021-02-16|website=Fast Company|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=Allyn|first1=Bobby|last2=Treisman|first2=Rachel|date=2021-02-15|title=After Weeks Of Being Offline, Parler Finds A New Web Host|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/15/968116346/after-weeks-of-being-off-line-parler-finds-a-new-web-host|access-date=2021-02-16|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref> SkySilk also said they believe Parler is "taking the necessary steps to better monitor its platform".<ref name=":5" /> Mercer helped finance Parler's return online.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Turton|first=William|date=2021-03-16|title=Parler, backed by Trump donor, says it's at 'war' in leaked tapes|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/3/16/parler-backed-by-trump-donor-says-its-at-war-in-leaked-tapes|access-date=2021-03-20|website=[[Al Jazeera]]|language=en}}</ref>

On February 25, Apple denied Parler's request to be re-added to the App Store, concluding that the changes Parler had made to their terms of service were not adequate. Apple added that "simple searches reveal highly objectionable content, including easily identified offensive uses of derogatory terms regarding race, religion and sexual orientation, as well as Nazi symbols" on the service.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Turton|first1=William|last2=Gurman|first2=Mark|date=March 10, 2021|title=Parler Blocked on Apple's App Store After Capitol Riot Review|language=en|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-10/parler-cuts-ios-team-after-apple-blocks-return-to-app-store|access-date=March 10, 2021}}</ref>

In late March, Parler claimed in a letter to the House Oversight Committee that "in the days and weeks leading up to January 6th, Parler referred violent content from its platform to the FBI for investigation over 50 times, and Parler even alerted law enforcement to specific threats of violence being planned at the Capitol."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cox|first=Kate|date=2021-03-29|title=Parler: We warned the FBI more than 50 times before the Capitol riot|work=Ars Technica|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/03/parler-we-warned-the-fbi-more-than-50-times-before-the-capitol-riot/|access-date=2021-03-30}}</ref>

In April, Parler signed up for [[Salesforce]]'s email services.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Montgomery|first=Blake|date=2021-09-18|title=Parler Gets Unexpected Help in Latest Comeback Bid|language=en|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/parler-gets-unexpected-help-from-salesforce-in-latest-comeback-bid|access-date=2021-09-22}}</ref>

A modified version of the Parler app was released on the App Store on May 17. It blocks posts identified by Parler as "hate", though they are still available on the web and on other versions of Parler. The app also includes additional features for reporting "threat[s] and incitement".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fung|first=Brian|date=2021-04-20|title=Apple will let Parler back on the App Store|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/tech/apple-parler-app-store/index.html|access-date=2021-04-20|website=CNN Business}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Mihalcik|first=Carrie|date=May 17, 2021|title=Parler is back on Apple's App Store|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/parler-is-back-on-apples-app-store/|access-date=May 17, 2021|website=[[CNET]]|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":7" />

In August, Parler CEO George Farmer asked for an apology from Facebook [[Chief operating officer|COO]] [[Sheryl Sandberg]] and others after a Reuters report said that the FBI found little evidence that the storming of the Capitol was planned and organized in advance.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vlamis|first=Kelsey|date=2021-08-22|title=Parler wants an apology from Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg after a report said the FBI found little evidence the Capitol riot was a coordinated attack|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-wants-apology-from-facebook-after-report-on-capitol-attack-2021-8|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-13|website=Business Insider|language=en-US}}</ref>

On September 14, Parler announced that they would sponsor [[NASCAR]] [[NASCAR Xfinity Series|Xfinity Series]] driver [[J. J. Yeley]]'s No. 17 car during a race at the [[Las Vegas Motor Speedway]] later in September.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Barrabi|first=Thomas|date=2021-09-14|title=Parler to sponsor NASCAR Xfinity Series driver JJ Yeley's car in upcoming race|url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/parler-nascar-xfinity-series-driver-jj-yeley-car|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-17|website=[[Fox Business]]|language=en-US}}</ref>

On December 20, Parler announced that they would expand their business into [[non-fungible token]]s (NFTs).<ref>{{Cite news|last=|date=2021-12-20|title=Social media app Parler plans to expand into NFTs|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/social-media-app-parler-plans-expand-into-nfts-2021-12-20/|access-date=2021-12-22}}</ref>

=== 2022 ===
[[File:Kanye West at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Kanye West]] agreed to buy ownership of Parler and the deal was called off several weeks later]]
On January 5, 2022, left-leaning liberal think tank [[New America (organization)|New America]] released a report titled "Parler and the Road to the Capitol Attack". According to [[Mother Jones (magazine)|''Mother Jones'']], the report is "a deep and retrospective dive through an estimated 183 million now-public posts" on Parler that discusses Parler's role in the 2021 Capitol attack and the platform's role in the spread of disinformation.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Breland|first=Ali|date=2022-01-05|title=A new report connects the dots on Parler's role ahead of January 6|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/01/parler-capitol-riot/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-10|website=Mother Jones|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=Rondeaux|first1=Candace|last2=Dalton|first2=Ben|last3=Nguyen|first3=Cuong|last4=Simeone|first4=Michael|last5=Taylor|first5=Thomas|last6=Walker|first6=Shawn|date=2022-01-05|title=The January 6th Capitol Attack: Parler and Alt-Tech Extremism|url=http://newamerica.org/future-frontlines/reports/parler-and-the-road-to-the-capitol-attack/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-10|website=[[New America (organization)|New America]]|language=en}}</ref>

On January 11, a [[ransomware]] group joined Parler and started using the platform to aid its extortion efforts. Prior to joining Parler, the group had accounts on [[Tumblr]] and Twitter, which were both removed.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Thalen|first=Mikael|date=2022-01-20|title=Ransomware group exploits Parler's hands-off approach to shake down victims|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/ransomware-gang-parler-account/|access-date=2022-02-03|website=The Daily Dot|language=en-US}}</ref>

On January 22, Farmer claimed that Parler was "unfairly scapegoated" in the aftermath of the Capitol attack and alleged there was a conspiracy against him by [[Big Tech|Big Tech companies]].<ref name=":12">{{Cite news|last=Jones|first=Callum|date=2022-01-22|title=From the flag-bearer for free speech to 'scapegoat', Parler is fighting back|language=en|work=[[The Times]]|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/from-the-flag-bearer-for-free-speech-to-scapegoat-parler-is-fighting-back-bmwcdfgf5|access-date=2022-01-22|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>

On February 9, Parler announced that former [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Melania Trump]] would exclusively use Parler for communications and that the platform would become her "social media home".<ref>{{Cite news|last=|date=2022-02-09|title=Melania Trump to make Parler her 'social media home'|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/melania-trump-make-parler-her-social-media-home-2022-02-09/|access-date=2022-02-11}}</ref>

In early March, Parler announced that they would launch a marketplace for NFTs called DeepRedSky.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hutton |first=Christopher |date=2022-03-02 |title=Parler launches NFT marketplace that features Trump NFTs |url=https://gazette.com/news/parler-launches-nft-marketplace-that-features-trump-nfts/article_11d44d5f-263c-561f-af87-93e6214f5c69.html |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=[[Colorado Springs Gazette]] |publisher=Washington Examiner |language=en}}</ref>

In late June, [[Tampa Bay area|Tampa Bay]] lawyer Dale Golden filed a lawsuit against Parler after receiving unsolicited promotional text messages from Parler and alleged that the platform had violated [[Florida Telephone Solicitation Act|Florida's Telephone Solicitation Act]] (FTSA).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hayes |first=Kelly |date=2022-07-13 |title=Tampa Bay lawyer sues Parler, alleges illegal text solicitation |url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/538745-tampa-bay-lawyer-sues-parler-alleges-illegal-text-solicitation/ |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=Florida Politics |language=en-US}}</ref>

On September 2, Parler's app became available again on Google Play Store, after Parler reportedly agreed to moderate posts that are shown in the Android version of the app.<ref name="PlayStoreReturn" />

Also in September, Parler announced a restructuring of their platform and company that would focus on providing services to businesses that have the potential of being forced off the Internet for hosting controversial content. Parler also announced the creation of a new parent company, Parlement Technologies Inc. Parlement announced the purchase of Dynascale Inc., a cloud service provider.<ref name="RestructureWSJ">{{Cite web |last=Needleman |first=Sarah E. |title=Social Network Parler Restructures, Focuses on 'Uncancellable Economy' |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/social-network-parler-restructures-focuses-on-uncancellable-economy-11663300014 |access-date=2022-10-17 |work=The Wall Street Journal|date=2022-09-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>

On October 17, Parler's parent company stated that [[Kanye West]] had agreed to buy ownership of the platform. This came after West was blocked from Instagram and Twitter for antisemitic remarks.<ref name="KanyeCNBC">{{cite news |last=Browne |first=Ryan |date=October 17, 2022 |work=CNBC |title=Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, agrees to buy conservative social media platform Parler, company says |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/17/kanye-west-is-buying-conservative-social-media-platform-parler-company-says.html}}</ref> The deal was expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022,<ref name=":18" /> but was terminated in December by mutual agreement.<ref name="noye" /> Following the buyout announcement, it was revealed that Parler had accidentally [[doxxed]] its VIP members in its announcement of West's purchase, having publicly posted over 300 email addresses of its VIP members.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parler managed to accidentally expose most of its elite members' private email information in message announcing Kanye West takeover |url=https://fortune.com/2022/10/20/parler-doxxed-vip-members-announcing-kanye-west-takeover/ |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Fortune|first=Alice|last=Hearing|date=2022-10-20 |language=en}}</ref>

==Usage==
Parler had fewer than a million users until early 2020.<ref name=":20">{{Cite web |last=Newhouse |first=Alex |title=Parler is bringing together mainstream conservatives, anti-Semites and white supremacists as the social media platform attracts millions of Trump supporters |url=http://theconversation.com/parler-is-bringing-together-mainstream-conservatives-anti-semites-and-white-supremacists-as-the-social-media-platform-attracts-millions-of-trump-supporters-150439 |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}</ref> In the last week of June 2020, it was estimated that the Parler app had more than 1.5 million daily users.<ref name="cnbc" /> {{As of|2020|July|15|df=US}}, Parler had 2.8 million total users and had been downloaded 2.5 million times, nearly half of which were in June.<ref name="Rules still apply" /><ref name="GOP Darling Isn't">{{Cite news|last=Brustein|first=Joshua|date=July 15, 2020|title=Social Media App Parler, a GOP Darling, Isn't Catching On|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2020-07-15/social-media-app-parler-a-gop-darling-isn-t-catching-on|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717080552/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2020-07-15/social-media-app-parler-a-gop-darling-isn-t-catching-on|archive-date=July 17, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|agency=[[Bloomberg News]]}}</ref> Throughout June and July, Parler on several occasions was highly listed both on the Apple App Store and on the Google Play store, in various categories and overall.<ref name="What's the deal?" /> The Parler app was downloaded nearly a million times in the week following Election Day in the United States on November 3, and became the most popular free app both on the Apple App Store and on the Google Play Store.<ref name="Brandom-TheVerge" /> Parler remained the most downloaded app in the United States for five days in early November.<ref name="Even Qanon Abandons" /> ''The New York Times'' reported that Parler had added 3.5 million users in a single week,<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Isaac |first1=Mike |last2=Browning |first2=Kellen |date=2020-11-11 |title=Fact-Checked on Facebook and Twitter, Conservatives Switch Their Apps |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/parler-rumble-newsmax.html |access-date=2022-10-17 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and during that month the service had about four million active users, and more than ten million total.<ref name="Ingram-NBC" /><ref name="Horwitz-WSJ" /> In December 2020, Parler had around 2.3 million daily active users.<ref name="Explosive growth is over">{{Cite news|last=Yurieff|first=Kaya|date=December 10, 2020|title=Conservatives flocked to Parler after the election. But its explosive growth is over|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/10/tech/parler-downloads/index.html|access-date=December 10, 2020|publisher=[[CNN]]|archive-date=December 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210120835/https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/10/tech/parler-downloads/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Fast Company]]'' reported that, as of December 5, both the number of daily active users and the rate of new downloads had dropped from their November peak, and CNN reported on December 10 that downloads had "plummeted" and were returning to the numbers Parler was experiencing before the election.<ref name="Playgrounds not sustaining">{{cite web|last=Dishman|first=Lydia|date=December 7, 2020|title=Conservative playgrounds Parler and MeWe are not sustaining their pre-election growth|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90583580/conservative-playgrounds-parler-and-mewe-are-not-sustaining-their-pre-election-growth|access-date=December 7, 2020|website=[[Fast Company]]|archive-date=December 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207223214/https://www.fastcompany.com/90583580/conservative-playgrounds-parler-and-mewe-are-not-sustaining-their-pre-election-growth|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Explosive growth is over" /> Parler again topped the App Store downloads chart on January 8, 2021, shortly after then-President Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter and also shortly before Parler was removed from the App Store by Apple.<ref name="Shieber Techcrunch Jumps" /><ref name="Bowman NPR Drop" /> As of January 2021, Parler reported having 15 million total users.<ref name="Struggles Survival" /> According to Sensor Tower, Parler has received 11.3 million global downloads from both the App Store and the Play Store.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-02-05|title=A year after Trump purge, 'alt-tech' platform offers far-right refuge|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/after-trump-purge-alt-tech-social-media-platform-gab-a-far-right-refuge/TUWCWQXTQYXIHQMJVAK42YYIKQ/|access-date=2022-02-06|website=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|publisher=Associated Press|language=en-NZ}}</ref> Also according to Sensor Tower, app downloads for Parler had dropped from 517,000 in December 2020 to 11,000 in June 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fischer |first=Sara |date=2021-06-29 |title=Conservative social media app frenzy dies down after Capitol riots |url=https://www.axios.com/conservative-social-media-apps-decline-parler-d73956ff-ad6c-4657-a0bf-8e8122fa7948.html |url-status=live |access-date=2021-07-10 |website=Axios |language=en}}</ref>

Despite the wave in signups in mid-2020, and the larger surge in November of that year, some journalists and researchers expressed doubt that Parler will remain popular or enter mainstream usage. According to ''[[TheWrap]]'', after several weeks of more than 700,000 downloads a week, Parler's weekly downloads subsided back into the low 100,000s during mid-July.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Burch|first=Sean|date=July 21, 2020|title=Parler, Twitter's Free Speech-Focused Competitor, Sees Momentum Stall|url=https://www.thewrap.com/parler-twitters-free-speech-focused-competitor-sees-momentum-stall/|url-access=registration|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730082714/https://www.thewrap.com/parler-twitters-free-speech-focused-competitor-sees-momentum-stall/|archive-date=July 30, 2020|access-date=August 5, 2020|website=[[TheWrap]]}}</ref> ''Bloomberg News'' also reported that downloads of the app had substantially slowed following the initial mid-2020 wave, and described Parler's June download numbers as a "small fraction" of apps like [[TikTok]], which receives tens of millions of downloads a month.<ref name="GOP Darling Isn't" /> Parler's user base, though it grew substantially in mid- and late 2020, remained much smaller than its competitors'.<ref name="Rules still apply" /><ref name="fortune" /><ref name="Like a rally" /> {{As of|2020|11}}, Twitter had 187 million users a day and Facebook had 1.8 billion users a day, whereas Parler had four million active users and eight million total.<ref name="Ingram-NBC" /> ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' wrote that alternative social networks like Parler "normally{{nbs}}... just don't get that big."<ref name="What's the deal?" /> When Parler's download and usage activity diminished following the November surge in popularity, the vice president of insights at the app analytics company Apptopia said to CNN, "The data trends resemble a fad, and a short-lived one at that{{nbs}}... Parler had a very good spike. People were interested, it's in the news, it receives downloads.{{nbs}}... But it appears, in our data, that there is no staying power."<ref name="Explosive growth is over" />

Although some high-profile figures have created accounts on Parler, many of them remain more active, and have substantially larger follower bases, on mainstream social networks.<ref name="forward" /><ref name="Rules still apply" /><ref name="Like a rally" /><ref name="Lures conservatives">{{Cite news|last=Knowles|first=David|date=June 22, 2020|title=Parler, a right-wing social media site, lures conservatives, but Trump sticks with Twitter – so far|url=https://news.yahoo.com/parler-a-rightwing-social-media-site-lures-conservatives-but-trump-sticks-with-twitter-so-far-190151349.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801001722/https://news.yahoo.com/parler-a-rightwing-social-media-site-lures-conservatives-but-trump-sticks-with-twitter-so-far-190151349.html|archive-date=August 1, 2020|access-date=August 5, 2020|work=[[Yahoo! News]]}}</ref> ''[[Mic (media company)|Mic]]'' questioned how long Parler's spike in popularity would last, citing as an obstacle the reluctance among those with large Twitter followings to migrate to a new service.<ref name="why won't conservatives" /> ''[[The Daily Beast]]'' noted in July and October 2020 that many high-profile conservatives who opened accounts on Parler in the previous month had since stopped using the service, while remaining active on mainstream social networks.<ref name="Already falling apart">{{Cite news|last=Sommer|first=Will|date=July 12, 2020|title=Parler, the Trumpy Alternative to Twitter, Is Already Falling Apart|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/parler-the-trumpy-alternative-to-twitter-is-already-falling-apart|url-status=live|access-date=August 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726021622/https://www.thedailybeast.com/parler-the-trumpy-alternative-to-twitter-is-already-falling-apart|archive-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref><ref name="DailyBeast-2020-10">{{Cite news|last=Sommer|first=Will|date=October 28, 2020|title=Parler Was Pitched as a Conservative Twitter. It's Now a Depository For Hunter Biden Political Porn.|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/parler-was-pitched-as-a-conservative-twitter-its-now-a-depository-for-hunter-biden-political-porn|url-status=live|access-date=November 8, 2020|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101051230/https://www.thedailybeast.com/parler-was-pitched-as-a-conservative-twitter-its-now-a-depository-for-hunter-biden-political-porn}}</ref> Some have described Parler as a backup in case Twitter bans them.<ref name="GOP Darling Isn't" /><ref name="Already falling apart" /> CNN interviewed Trump supporters in December 2020 about their social media use and found that "almost none" had completely abandoned Twitter and Facebook.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/03/tech/parler-trump-supporters/index.html |title=In Georgia, some Trump supporters turn to Parler, a platform for a parallel universe |first=Donie |last=O'Sullivan |date=December 3, 2020 |access-date=December 3, 2020 |publisher=[[CNN]] |archive-date=December 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203133652/http://www.cnn.com/2020/12/03/tech/parler-trump-supporters/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The same month, ''[[OneZero]]'' reported that Parler users were gathering in Facebook groups to complain that Parler's interface was difficult to operate, to share concerns about having to submit identification to be verified, and to express regrets that their friends and family had not joined.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://onezero.medium.com/parler-users-are-gathering-on-facebook-to-complain-about-parler-36f799bb75ef |title=Parler Users Are Gathering on Facebook to Complain About Parler |website=[[OneZero]] |date=December 4, 2020 |access-date=December 5, 2020 |first=Sarah |last=Emerson |archive-date=December 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206115241/https://onezero.medium.com/parler-users-are-gathering-on-facebook-to-complain-about-parler-36f799bb75ef |url-status=live }}</ref>

==User base==
Parler has a significant user base of conservatives.<ref name=":15" /><ref name=":16" /><ref name=":17" /><ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19" /> The app also has a number of high-profile Republican users, including Senators [[Rand Paul]] and Ted Cruz, as well as Fox News host [[Sean Hannity]].<ref name="cnbc"/><ref name="BBC-suspend"/> The [[Anti-Defamation League]] wrote in November 2020 that "Parler has attracted a range of right-wing extremists" including Proud Boys; proponents of the QAnon conspiracy theory; anti-government extremists including members of the [[Oath Keepers]], [[Three Percenters]], and other militia groups; and white supremacists including members of the alt-right and far-right [[Accelerationism|accelerationists]] such as the terrorist group [[Atomwaffen Division]].<ref name="ADL-2020-11" /><ref name=":20" /> Leaked GPS coordinates from Parler also revealed that users of the site include [[police officer]]s in the United States and members of the [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. Armed Forces]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|last1=Cameron|first1=Dell|last2=Mehrotra|first2=Dhruv|date=January 15, 2021|title=Leaked Parler Data Points to Users at Police Stations, U.S. Military Bases|url=https://gizmodo.com/leaked-parler-data-points-to-users-at-police-stations-1846059897|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115193028/https://gizmodo.com/leaked-parler-data-points-to-users-at-police-stations-1846059897|archive-date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 15, 2021|website=Gizmodo}}</ref> Parler was also used by at least 14 UK [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] Members of Parliament; several ministers including cabinet minister [[Michael Gove]] and a number of prominent UK conservative commentators joined the app.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 17, 2021|title=Revealed: Tory MPs and commentators who joined banned app Parler|url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/17/revealed-tory-mps-and-commentators-who-joined-banned-app-parler|access-date=January 17, 2021|work=The Guardian|archive-date=January 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117073257/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/17/revealed-tory-mps-and-commentators-who-joined-banned-app-parler|url-status=live}}</ref> Some right-wing news companies including ''[[Breitbart News]]'', ''[[The Epoch Times]]'', and ''[[The Daily Caller]]'' also had accounts on Parler.<ref name=":82">{{Cite web|last=Hadavas|first=Chloe|date=July 3, 2020|title=What's the Deal With the "Free Speech" Alternative to Twitter?|url=https://slate.com/technology/2020/07/parler-free-speech-twitter.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703142505/https://slate.com/technology/2020/07/parler-free-speech-twitter.html|archive-date=July 3, 2020|access-date=August 9, 2020|website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|language=en}}</ref>

Researchers, journalists, and Parler users have observed the lack of ideological diversity on the service,<ref name="Even Qanon Abandons">{{Cite news|last=Gilbert|first=David|date=December 11, 2020|title=Even QAnon Is Abandoning Parler, the Far-Right's Answer to Twitter|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx8gj5/even-qanon-is-abandoning-parler-the-far-rights-answer-to-twitter|access-date=December 12, 2020|publisher=[[Vice News]]|archive-date=December 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211234437/https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx8gj5/even-qanon-is-abandoning-parler-the-far-rights-answer-to-Twitter|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Like a rally" /><ref name="KA pushed pizza">{{Cite news|last=Allen|first=Karma|date=August 15, 2017|title=Trump retweets alt-right activist who pushed 'Pizzagate' conspiracy|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-retweets-alt-activist-pushed-pizzagate-conspiracy/story?id=49221083|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019142641/https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-retweets-alt-activist-pushed-pizzagate-conspiracy/story?id=49221083|archive-date=October 19, 2020|access-date=October 18, 2020|publisher=[[ABC News]]}}</ref> and that Parler has served as an [[Echo chamber (media)|echo chamber]] for right-wing extremists and Trump supporters.{{refn|name="echo-chamber"|<ref name="newstatesman" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Woodward|first=Alex|date=July 2, 2020|title=We signed up for Parler. Here's what you'll find on the right's latest social media platform|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/parler-app-social-media-trump-right-wing-a9596741.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719234334/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/parler-app-social-media-trump-right-wing-a9596741.html|archive-date=July 19, 2020|access-date=August 5, 2020|work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref><ref name="Echo chamber"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=DeSantis|first=Rachel|date=November 17, 2020|title=Parler, an App That's Becoming a Hit with Trump Supporters, Is Compared to an 'Echo Chamber'|url=https://people.com/human-interest/parler-app-compared-echo-chamber/|access-date=December 12, 2020|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|archive-date=November 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126064254/https://people.com/human-interest/parler-app-compared-echo-chamber/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="politico-nguyen" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=DiResta|first=Renée|date=November 23, 2020|title=Right-Wing Social Media Finalizes Its Divorce From Reality|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/right-wing-social-media-finalizes-its-divorce-reality/617177/|access-date=December 12, 2020|work=[[The Atlantic]]|archive-date=December 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212124151/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/right-wing-social-media-finalizes-its-divorce-reality/617177/|url-status=live}}</ref>}} In mid-2020, alt-right activist and Trump supporter [[Jack Posobiec]] compared the service to a Trump rally, saying Parler lacks the "energy" Twitter draws from having communities of people with differing viewpoints.<ref name="Like a rally" /><ref name="KA pushed pizza" /> Around the same time, extremism researcher and professor [[Amarnath Amarasingam]] said of Parler, "talking to yourself in the dark corners of the internet is actually not that satisfying," and that he was skeptical Parler would excite the far right without left-leaning users with whom they can interact and fight.<ref name="What's the deal?" /> In June 2020, Matze said he wanted to see more debate on the platform and offered a "progressive bounty" of $10,000 to liberal pundits with at least 50,000 Twitter or Facebook followers who would join; receiving no takers, he later increased this amount to $20,000.<ref name="Like a rally" /><ref name="cnbc" />

Jason Blazakis, the director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at the [[Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey|Middlebury Institute]], told ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'' in November 2020 that he thought extremist users migrating to Parler was a good thing: "these people are leaving those platforms and no longer trying to [[Red pill and blue pill|red pill]] individuals to see their conspiracy theories on large platforms like Facebook and Twitter." He said Parler's size might result in a smaller audience for those pushing conspiracy theories and spreading misinformation.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Homan|first=Timothy R.|date=November 13, 2020|title=Parler's post-election popularity sparks misinformation concerns|url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/525795-parlers-post-election-popularity-sparks-misinformation-concerns|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114212343/https://thehill.com/policy/technology/525795-parlers-post-election-popularity-sparks-misinformation-concerns|archive-date=November 14, 2020|access-date=November 13, 2020|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}</ref> Angelo Carusone, president of the progressive media watchdog group [[Media Matters for America]], has said of Parler, "The self-segmenting of this group to Parler will intensify their extremism. No doubt about that. But it will also weaken the influence of the right wing by siphoning off a segment of users, many of whom will be the most engaged users."<ref name="politico-nguyen">{{cite news|last=Nguyen|first=Tina|date=November 22, 2020|title=On Parler, MAGA's post-election world view blossoms with no pushback|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/22/parler-maga-election-echo-chamber-439056|access-date=November 22, 2020|work=[[Politico]]|archive-date=November 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122121747/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/22/parler-maga-election-echo-chamber-439056|url-status=live}}</ref>

Parler is one of a number of alternative social network platforms, including Gab and BitChute, that are popular with people banned from mainstream networks such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, [[Reddit]], and [[Instagram]].<ref name="Spectator USA 7 May 2019">{{cite news|last=Moore|first=Chadwick|date=May 7, 2019|title=A complete guide to finding your favorite banned celebrity online|work=[[Spectator USA]]|url=https://spectator.us/guide-finding-banned-celebrity-online/|url-status=live|access-date=May 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618063520/https://spectator.us/guide-finding-banned-celebrity-online/|archive-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref><ref name="hollywoodreporter">{{Cite web|last=Rahman|first=Abid|date=June 24, 2020|title="I'm Done": Right-Wing Personalities Ditching Twitter for Parler Over Claims of Censorship|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/right-wing-personalities-ditch-twitter-parler-claims-censorship-1300328|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627222847/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/right-wing-personalities-ditch-twitter-parler-claims-censorship-1300328|archive-date=June 27, 2020|access-date=June 29, 2020|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> Deen Freelon and colleagues writing in ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' characterized Parler as among alt-tech websites and services that are "dedicated to right-wing communities", and listed the service along with [[4chan]], 8chan, BitChute, and Gab. They noted there are also more ideologically neutral alt-tech services, such as [[Discord (software)|Discord]] and Telegram.<ref name="Freelon-science">{{Cite journal|last1=Freelon|first1=Deen|last2=Marwick|first2=Alice|last3=Kreiss|first3=Daniel|date=September 4, 2020|title=False equivalencies: Online activism from left to right|journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]]|volume=369|issue=6508|pages=1197–1201|doi=10.1126/science.abb2428|issn=0036-8075|pmid=32883863|bibcode=2020Sci...369.1197F|doi-access=free}}</ref> Joe Mulhall of the UK anti-racism group [[Hope not Hate|Hope Not Hate]] has categorized Parler among the "bespoke platforms" for the far-right, which he defines as platforms which were created by people who themselves have "far-right leanings". He distinguishes these from "co-opted platforms" such as DLive and Telegram, which were adopted by the far-right due to minimal moderation but not specifically created for their use.<ref name="Bellingcat-2021">{{Cite web|last1=Andrews|first1=Frank|last2=Pym|first2=Ambrose|date=February 24, 2021|title=The Websites Sustaining Britain's Far-Right Influencers|url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/02/24/the-websites-sustaining-britains-far-right-influencers/|access-date=February 25, 2021|website=[[Bellingcat]]|language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Content==
Parler is known for its conservative content.<ref name=":15" /><ref name=":16" /><ref name=":17" /><ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19" /> Parler has said they will not fact-check posts on the platform, a decision [[BBC News]] in 2020 says has allowed misinformation to spread more easily on the platform than on mainstream social networks. In particular, BBC News noted the presence of posts spreading the QAnon conspiracy theory, as well as misinformation surrounding the 2020 U.S. presidential election, COVID-19, child trafficking, and [[Vaccine hesitancy|vaccines]].<ref name="BBC-2020-11-09" /> ''The Verge'' noted in November 2020 that Parler had become a "central hub" for the Stop the Steal conspiracy theory relating to the 2020 U.S. presidential election.<ref name="Brandom-TheVerge" /> In 2019 and 2020 respectively, ''[[The Forward]]'' and ''[[The Bulwark (website)|The Bulwark]]'' observed the presence of [[Antisemitic canard|antisemitic conspiracy theories]] as well as others.<ref name="forward" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Yoest |first=Tim Miller and Hannah |date=2020-06-26 |title=The Gross Hellscape That Awaits Ted Cruz on Parler |url=https://www.thebulwark.com/the-gross-hellscape-that-awaits-ted-cruz-on-parler/ |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=The Bulwark |language=en-US}}</ref> An analysis of posts from the week leading up to the Capitol storming found that 87% of the links shared on Parler were to misinformation websites, including Islamophobic and QAnon sites.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.protocol.com/parler-misinformation-macedonia |title=A Macedonian misinformation site dominated Parler before the Capitol riot |website=Protocol |first=Issie |last=Lapowsky |date=February 17, 2021 |access-date=February 17, 2021}}</ref> According to [[Stanford University]]'s [[Stanford University centers and institutes|Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies]], Parler had become an "echo chamber" for "unfounded conspiratorial allegations of deliberate theft and plotting".<ref name=":12">{{Cite news|last=Jones|first=Callum|date=2022-01-22|title=From the flag-bearer for free speech to 'scapegoat', Parler is fighting back|language=en|work=[[The Times]]|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/from-the-flag-bearer-for-free-speech-to-scapegoat-parler-is-fighting-back-bmwcdfgf5|access-date=2022-01-22|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>

Matze told ''The Forward'' in 2019 that he was unaware of antisemitic content on Parler, but he was unsurprised it was there. He believes removing hateful content only further [[radicalizes]] people, saying, "If you're going to fight these peoples' views, they need to be out in the open.{{nbs}}... Don't force these people into the corners of the internet where they're not going to be able to be proven wrong."<ref name="forward" /> Extremism expert [[Chip Berlet]] said of Matze's opinions on hateful content: "I think he's full of it.{{nbs}}... I think he knows exactly what he's creating, he's encouraging people who basically don't like other folks in the country{{nbs}}... it's [[wikt:en:baloney#Etymology 2|balogna]], this is a place for people to fester in their own bigotry."<ref name="forward" /> In December 2020, the ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' argued that "Beneath the thin guise of the app’s self-proclaimed emphasis on 'free speech' lies the ability to say not just a hypothetical 'anything,' but specifically to share racist slurs and violent threats toward political opponents."<ref name=":21" /> Political scientist [[Alison Dagnes]] has said of Parler's stance on speech on the platform: "I don't think you can have it both ways.{{nbs}}... There is no such thing as civilized [[hate speech]]."<ref name="forward" />

In late 2020, Parler revised their site guidelines, which had previously prohibited [[pornography]] and [[obscenity]], to permit the posting of "adult sex or nudity".<ref name="why won't conservatives" /><ref name="Porn problem" /> A review by ''The Washington Post'' in December that year found that pornography was "surging" on Parler, and "threaten[ed] to intrude on users not seeking sexual material". The ''Post'' observed that pornographic videos began playing without label or warning, and that a filter to label and require an additional click to view explicit content was not being uniformly applied to pornographic images. The report also noted that conspiracy theory content overlapped with pornography, observing that searches for QAnon-related [[hashtag]]s retrieved "numerous pornographic images".<ref name="Porn problem">{{Cite news|last1=Timberg|first1=Craig|last2=Harwell|first2=Drew|last3=Lerman|first3=Rachel|date=December 2, 2020|title=Parler's got a porn problem: Adult businesses target pro-Trump social network|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/02/parler-pornography-problem/|access-date=December 6, 2020|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|archive-date=December 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206000520/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/02/parler-pornography-problem/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Even Qanon Abandons" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Cuthbertson|first=Anthony|date=December 3, 2020|title=Porn floods pro-Trump social network Parler|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/parler-app-porn-trump-b1765831.html|access-date=December 12, 2020|work=[[The Independent]]|archive-date=December 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203192616/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/parler-app-porn-trump-b1765831.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

A study co-written by Annalise Baines, Muhammad Ittefaq and Mauryne Abwao published in the journal ''[[Vaccines (journal)|Vaccines]]'' found that Parler provided an echo chamber for vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories.<ref>{{cite journal|title=#Scamdemic, #Plandemic, or #Scaredemic: What Parler Social Media Platform Tells Us about COVID-19 Vaccine|last1=Baines|first1=Annalise|last2=Ittefaq|first2=Muhammad|last3=Abwao|first3=Mauryne|journal=[[Vaccines (journal)|Vaccines]]|date=April 22, 2021|volume=9|issue=5|page=421|doi=10.3390/vaccines9050421|pmid=33922343|pmc=8146829|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-01|title=Study: Parler provided echo chamber for vaccine misinformation, conspiracy theories|url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/uok-spp060121.php|access-date=2021-06-14|website=[[American Association for the Advancement of Science]] (AAAS)|language=en}}</ref>

===Moderation===
Parler describes itself as a free speech platform, and its founders have proclaimed that the service engages in minimal moderation and will not fact-check posts. They have also said they will allow posts that have been removed or flagged as misinformation on other social media networks such as Twitter.<ref name="Rules still apply" /><ref name="fortune" /> Matze said in an interview with [[CNBC]] on June 27, 2020, "We're a community town square, an open town square, with no censorship{{nbs}}... If you can say it on the street of New York, you can say it on Parler."<ref name="cnbc" /> The service has been popular among conservatives who allege Twitter and Facebook has been biased against them when moderating content or flagging misinformation, praising Parler for offering an alternative to these mainstream platforms.<ref name="Grumbling told us" /><ref name="BBC-2020-11-09" /><ref name="cnbc" /><ref>{{Cite news |title=Conservatives grumbling about censorship say they're flocking to Parler. They told us so on Twitter. |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/23/parler-conservatives-still-on-twitter/ |access-date=2022-10-18 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

However, the site has been criticized by users and journalists who believe its content policies are more restrictive than the company portrays, and sometimes more restrictive than those of the mainstream social media platforms to which it claims to be an unbiased free speech alternative.<ref name="newstatesman" /><ref name="Dicks Boobs or Poop" /><ref name="What's the deal?" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Schulberg|first=Jessica|date=June 26, 2020|title=On Parler, The Right-Wing Social Media Site, Free Speech Isn't Free|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/parler-free-speech-alternative-twitter-user-agreement_n_5ef660fdc5b6acab28419a5d|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702043942/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/parler-free-speech-alternative-twitter-user-agreement_n_5ef660fdc5b6acab28419a5d|archive-date=July 2, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|work=[[HuffPost]]}}</ref> Parler's guidelines disallow content including [[blackmail]], support for terrorism, false rumors, promoting [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]], and "fighting words" directed towards others.<ref name="Already Banning Users" /><ref name="cnbc" /> The site initially forbade the posting of pornography, obscenity, or indecency, but later modified its guidelines to allow the posting of "adult sex or nudity".<ref name="Porn problem" /><ref name="Grumbling told us">{{Cite news|last1=Harwell|first1=Drew|last2=Lerman|first2=Rachel|date=November 23, 2020|title=Conservatives grumbling about censorship say they're flocking to Parler. They told us so on Twitter.|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/23/parler-conservatives-still-on-twitter/|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=November 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124021228/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/23/parler-conservatives-still-on-twitter/|url-status=live}}</ref> Parler says their moderation policy is based on the positions of the United States [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) and [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]], although ''Gizmodo'' has described this as "nonsensical", noting that the FCC moderates only public airwaves, not internet content, and that some of Parler's rules are more restrictive than restrictions imposed by either the FCC or the Supreme Court.<ref name="Dicks Boobs or Poop" /> ''[[The Independent]]'' wrote in November 2020, "Despite positioning itself as a [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] platform promoting freedom of expression, Parler's community guidelines are more than 1,500 words and include rules that go far beyond legal requirements."<ref name="Bans for speaking freely">{{Cite news|last=Cuthbertson|first=Anthony|date=November 12, 2020|title='Free speech' app Parler, used by far-right, bans users for speaking freely|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/parler-app-ban-free-speech-trump-b1721710.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114212321/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/parler-app-ban-free-speech-trump-b1721710.html|archive-date=November 14, 2020|access-date=November 13, 2020|work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> ''Wired'' wrote in November 2020 that Parler enforced its guidelines inconsistently, and that the service either "prioritizes conservative speech rather than free speech" or "is set up to amplify its [[Internet celebrity|influencers]], rather than create a space for anyone to be heard".<ref name="Arielle Pardes" />

In June and July 2020, Parler banned a spate of left-wing accounts, including parody accounts and accounts that were critical of Parler or the prevailing viewpoints on the service.<ref name="Rules still apply" /><ref name="Already Banning Users" /><ref name="Covucci Leftists">{{Cite web|last=Covucci|first=David|date=June 30, 2020|title=Free speech app Parler is already banning leftists|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/parler-banning-leftist/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702012440/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/parler-banning-leftist/|archive-date=July 2, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|website=[[The Daily Dot]]}}</ref><ref name="Banning Liberals">{{Cite news|last=Wellemeyer|first=James|date=July 3, 2020|title=Conservatives are flocking to a new 'free speech' social media app that has started banning liberal users|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/conservatives-flock-free-speech-social-media-app-which-has-started-n1232844|access-date=December 12, 2020|publisher=[[NBC News]]|archive-date=December 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210184727/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/conservatives-flock-free-speech-social-media-app-which-has-started-n1232844|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Mic'' wrote that Parler had used the personal information provided during signup to ban those they had identified as "teenage leftists";<ref name="why won't conservatives" /> Will Duffield of the [[Cato Institute]] wrote that Matze had also apparently instituted a blanket ban on [[Antifa (United States)|antifa]] supporters.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Duffield|first=Will|date=July 7, 2020|title=A Twitter Alternative, If They Can Keep It|url=https://www.cato.org/blog/twitter-alternative-they-can-keep-it|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814203137/https://www.cato.org/blog/twitter-alternative-they-can-keep-it|archive-date=August 14, 2020|access-date=August 5, 2020|publisher=[[Cato Institute]]}}</ref> After a surge in popularity among conservatives in November 2020, ''The Independent'' noted that Parler had again been accused of removing left-leaning users and removing content that contradicted or was critical of popular opinions expressed there.<ref name="Bans for speaking freely" /> In January 2021, [[Ethan Zuckerman]] and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci wrote in a report for the [[Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump|Knight First Amendment Institute]] that Parler's invitation on its front page, "'Speak freely and express yourself openly, without fear of being "deplatformed" for your views,' often isn't borne out in reality as Parler regularly bans trolls who hold opposing viewpoints."<ref name="Zuckerman">{{Cite web|last1=Zuckerman|first1=Ethan|author-link=Ethan Zuckerman|last2=Rajendra-Nicolucci|first2=Chand|date=January 11, 2021|title=Deplatforming Our Way to the Alt-Tech Ecosystem|url=https://knightcolumbia.org/content/deplatforming-our-way-to-the-alt-tech-ecosystem|url-status=live|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=[[Knight First Amendment Institute]]|publisher=[[Columbia University]]|archive-date=January 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113011408/https://knightcolumbia.org/content/deplatforming-our-way-to-the-alt-tech-ecosystem}}</ref>

On June 30, 2020, after the wave of bans, Matze published a Parler post outlining some of the service's rules.<ref name="Rules still apply" /><ref name="Dicks Boobs or Poop" /> Some of them, such as one asking users not to publish photos of feces, were described by ''The Independent'' as "bizarre".<ref name="Strange things it bans">{{Cite news|last=Smith|first=Adam|date=July 1, 2020|title=Parler reveals strange things it bans as people suspended from Twitter head to rival app|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/parler-app-rules-ban-social-media-twitter-ceo-a9595606.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728160019/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/parler-app-rules-ban-social-media-twitter-ceo-a9595606.html|archive-date=July 28, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> ''Slate'' and ''Gizmodo'' noted that the top reply to Matze's post identified that "Twitter allows four of the five things that Parler censors."<ref name="Dicks Boobs or Poop" /><ref name="What's the deal?" /> Some of the clauses in Parler's user agreement have been criticized as "unusual" and seemingly contradictory to its mission, including one that allows Parler to remove content and ban users "at any time and for any reason or no reason", and one that would require a user to pay for any of Parler's legal expenses incurred as a result of their use of the service.<ref name="fortune" /><ref name="What's the deal?" /><ref name="Already Banning Users" /><ref name="Already falling apart" /> ''Ars Technica'' reported in November 2020 that the clause requiring users to cover legal fees had been removed from Parler's user agreement following negative media coverage.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cox|first=Kate|date=November 12, 2020|title=What is Parler, and why is everyone suddenly talking about it?|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/11/what-is-parler-and-why-is-everyone-suddenly-talking-about-it/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114212333/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/11/what-is-parler-and-why-is-everyone-suddenly-talking-about-it/|archive-date=November 14, 2020|access-date=November 13, 2020|website=[[Ars Technica]]}}</ref>

Matze told ''The Washington Post'' he does not see Parler's guidelines as contradictory to its stance on free speech.<ref name="Rules still apply" /> {{As of|2020|July}}, Parler had a team of 200 volunteer moderators.<ref name="Rules still apply" /> Matze told ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' magazine the same month that he wanted to expand the moderation team to 1,000 volunteers.<ref name="Free speech is messy" /> In November 2020, ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported all moderation was still being handled by volunteers, which Parler calls "community jurors".<ref name="Horwitz-WSJ" /> In January 2021, ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported that Parler had increased its moderation team to 600 people, and began paying them. They also had begun hiring full-time employees to moderate the service.<ref name="Struggles Survival" />

In January 2021, Parler executives acknowledged that rules-violating content had remained on the platform, which they attributed to their volunteer team of moderators being overwhelmed by large backlogs of posts to review. Parler executives also reported there had been an increase in calls for violence on the platform leading up to the riots at the Capitol. Parler's chief of policy, [[Amy Peikoff]], told ''The Wall Street Journal'' she had directed moderators to report such threats to law enforcement, and that she "was concerned that there was actually going to be some sort of violence on the 6th".<ref name="Struggles Survival" />

==Appearance and features==
[[File:Andy_Biggs'_Parler_feed.png|thumb|right|The Parler feed of [[Andy Biggs]] as it appeared on June 30, 2020.]]
Parler is a microblogging service that is both a website and an app. After being removed from the Apple App Store in January 2021, a version of the app with added content filters was released in May 2021. The app was formerly available on the Google Play Store, but was also removed in January 2021.<ref name="Strange things it bans" /> Users who register for accounts are able to follow the accounts of other users.<ref name="abrown">{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Abram |title=Parler's Founder Explains Why He Built Trump's New Favorite Social Media App |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/06/27/parlers-founder-explains-why-he-built-trumps-new-favorite-social-media-app/#60e38d4a5016 |access-date=June 29, 2020 |work=[[Forbes]] |date=June 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629040324/https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/06/27/parlers-founder-explains-why-he-built-trumps-new-favorite-social-media-app/#60e38d4a5016 |archive-date=June 29, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> Unlike Twitter, the feed of posts{{snd}}called "parleys"{{snd}}from followed accounts appears to a user chronologically, instead of through an algorithm-based selection process.<ref name="GOP Darling Isn't" /><ref name="abrown"/><ref name="kusi">{{cite news |last1=Halvorson |first1=Jonathan |title=Parler CEO John Matze wants the growing social media platform to embrace free speech |url=https://www.kusi.com/parler-ceo-john-matze-wants-the-growing-social-media-platform-to-embrace-free-speech/ |access-date=June 30, 2020 |publisher=[[KUSI-TV]] |date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630055120/https://www.kusi.com/parler-ceo-john-matze-wants-the-growing-social-media-platform-to-embrace-free-speech/ |archive-date=June 30, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> Parleys are limited to 1,000 characters in length, and users can "vote" or "echo" the posts of other users whom they follow, functions that have been compared to Twitter's "like" and "retweet" functions.<ref name="fortune">{{cite news |last1=Pressman |first1=Aaron |title=Parler is the new Twitter for conservatives. Here's what you need to know |url=https://fortune.com/2020/06/29/what-is-parler-app-social-media-conservatives-who-owns-free-echo-facebook-twitter-verified-faq/ |access-date=June 29, 2020 |work=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630123443/https://fortune.com/2020/06/29/what-is-parler-app-social-media-conservatives-who-owns-free-echo-facebook-twitter-verified-faq/ |archive-date=June 30, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> A direct messaging feature is also built into the platform, allowing users to privately contact each other.<ref name="fortune"/> Public figures are verified on the app with a gold badge, and parody accounts are identified with a purple badge.<ref name="cnbc" /> Anyone who verifies their identity by providing government-issued photo identification during signup is identified with a red badge.<ref name="fortune" /> [[Spamming|Spammers]] have exploited this two-tier verification system by providing documentation to verify their identity, obtaining a red badge, and changing their account name. The red badge persisted after the name change.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/fake-parler-accounts-gop-republicans |title=Fake GOP Leaders Are Selling CBD Oil On Parler |work=[[BuzzFeed News]] |date=December 16, 2020 |access-date=December 16, 2020 |first=Craig |last=Silverman |archive-date=December 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216194741/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/fake-parler-accounts-gop-republicans |url-status=live }}</ref> Parler refers to users of its service as Parleyers.<ref name="Rules still apply" />

''[[Forbes]]'' described Parler as "like a barebones Twitter" in June 2020.<ref name="abrown" /> The same month, ''Fast Company'' wrote that Parler was "well-designed and organized", also noting its similarity to Twitter.<ref name="Echo chamber">{{Cite web|last=Sullivan|first=Mark|date=June 27, 2020|title=I joined Parler, the right-wing echo chamber's new favorite alt-Twitter|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90522049/i-joined-parler-the-right-wing-echo-chambers-new-favorite-alt-twitter|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805205842/https://www.fastcompany.com/90522049/i-joined-parler-the-right-wing-echo-chambers-new-favorite-alt-twitter|archive-date=August 5, 2020|access-date=August 5, 2020|website=[[Fast Company]]}}</ref> ''The Conversation'' described the service in July 2020 as "very similar to Twitter in appearance and function, albeit clunkier".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Courty|first=Audrey|date=July 13, 2020|title=Parler: what you need to know about the 'free speech' Twitter alternative|url=http://theconversation.com/parler-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-free-speech-twitter-alternative-142268|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803081757/https://theconversation.com/parler-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-free-speech-twitter-alternative-142268|archive-date=August 3, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|website=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]]}}</ref> CNN has said Parler resembles a "mashup of Twitter and Instagram".<ref name="Explosive growth is over" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Yurieff|first=Kaya|date=November 14, 2020|title=Conservatives find home on social media platforms rife with misinformation|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/14/tech/parler-app-conservatives/index.html|access-date=December 12, 2020|publisher=[[CNN]]|archive-date=December 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212002240/https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/14/tech/parler-app-conservatives/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Registration and verification===
Creating an account and using Parler is free. Signup requires both an e-mail address and a phone number.<ref name="why won't conservatives">{{Cite web|last=Yune|first=Tebany|date=June 29, 2020|title=What is Parler and why won't conservatives shut up about it?|url=https://www.mic.com/p/what-is-parler-why-wont-conservatives-shut-up-about-it-27627361|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110033915/https://www.mic.com/p/what-is-parler-why-wont-conservatives-shut-up-about-it-27627361|archive-date=November 10, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|website=[[Mic (media company)|Mic]]}}</ref> At the point of registration, users have the option of supplying a photo of themselves and a scan of the front and back of their government-issued photo identification to have their account verified by Parler.<ref name="kusi"/><ref name="fortune" /> In order to join Parler's "influencer network", the company may ask for users' [[Social Security number|social security]] or [[Taxpayer Identification Number|tax identification numbers]].<ref name="Banning Liberals" />

According to Matze, the identification document scans submitted by users who choose to have their accounts verified are destroyed after verification. However, the requirement for ID scans to become verified has prompted conspiracy theories about Parler's retention and use of user information.<ref name="kusi" /><ref name="mic">{{cite news|last1=Yune|first1=Tebany|date=June 29, 2020|title=What is Parler and why won't conservatives shut up about it?|work=[[Mic (media company)|Mic]]|url=https://www.mic.com/p/what-is-parler-why-wont-conservatives-shut-up-about-it-27627361|access-date=June 30, 2020|archive-date=November 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110033915/https://www.mic.com/p/what-is-parler-why-wont-conservatives-shut-up-about-it-27627361|url-status=live}}</ref> Matze has also said the service requires users to provide their phone number because people who can stay anonymous online say "nasty things".<ref name="Banning Liberals" />

Individual users can optionally set their account to view Parleys only from other verified users. According to Matze, the purpose of the verification feature is to allow users to minimize their contact with [[troll (internet)|troll]]s and bots.<ref name="kusi" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Komando|first=Kim|title=Parler news app downloads surge|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/komando/2020/11/19/parler-takes-off-conservative-alternative-twitter-and-facebook/6305513002/|date=November 19, 2020|access-date=November 26, 2020|work=[[USA Today]]|archive-date=November 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128204958/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/komando/2020/11/19/parler-takes-off-conservative-alternative-twitter-and-facebook/6305513002/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Security===
Several publications and researchers have criticized Parler's security.

In November 2020, security researcher Aubrey Cottle renamed an already-verified Parler account to spoof the identity of Ron Watkins, the former site administrator of 8chan. Speaking to ''The Washington Post'' after the hoax, Cottle described Parler's security as a "joke".<ref name="Grumbling told us"/> ''The Daily Dot'' also described "what appeared to be some pretty serious security flaws" in Parler in a report pertaining to the incident.<ref name="War with Bongino"/> Watkins himself was vocally critical of Parler and its security on Twitter after the spoofing incident, describing the service as "compromised".<ref name="Even Qanon Abandons"/><ref name="War with Bongino"/>

Also in mid-November, security researcher Kevin Abosch claimed to have discovered weaknesses in Parler's user verification information, alleging 5,000 accounts were compromised in July 2020. Matze calling the alleged hack "fake", adding that the service is protected by "multiple layers of security".<ref>{{Cite news|date=November 25, 2020|title=Parler hack claims are fake, CEO says: "They are just obsessed with us"|url=https://www.newsweek.com/parler-hack-cyber-attack-false-twitter-claims-misinformation-john-matze-denial-1550063|access-date=January 11, 2021|work=[[Newsweek]]|archive-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023408/https://www.newsweek.com/parler-hack-cyber-attack-false-twitter-claims-misinformation-john-matze-denial-1550063|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Thalen|first=Mikael|date=November 25, 2020|title=There's no evidence Parler was hacked, despite viral claims|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/theres-no-evidence-parler-was-hacked-despite-viral-claims/|access-date=December 12, 2020|website=[[The Daily Dot]]|archive-date=December 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204222721/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/theres-no-evidence-parler-was-hacked-despite-viral-claims/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Elder|first1=Jeff|last2=Holmes|first2=Aaron|date=November 25, 2020|title=While Twitter was buzzing about a fake Parler data leak, a hacker says he actually breached some user data from the conservative social network|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-data-breach-twitter-social-network-conservative-hack-2020-11|access-date=December 12, 2020|work=[[Business Insider]]|archive-date=December 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206154740/https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-data-breach-twitter-social-network-conservative-hack-2020-11|url-status=live}}</ref> As of late November, no evidence that the site used vulnerable [[WordPress]] technology as claimed had surfaced.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Was Parler Hacked?|date=November 25, 2020 |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/was-parler-hacked/|access-date=January 11, 2021|publisher=[[Snopes]]|archive-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20210112040200/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/was-parler-hacked/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lytvyneko|first=Jane|date=November 24, 2020|title=If anyone has seen concrete proof Parler was hacked, DM me, or email me otherwise don't amplify, it's unverified.|url=https://twitter.com/JaneLytv/status/1331382801984319488|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023407/https://twitter.com/JaneLytv/status/1331382801984319488|archive-date=January 12, 2021|website=BuzzFeed (via twitter)}}</ref>

In January 2021, following the storming of the Capitol and just before Parler went offline, a researcher scraped roughly eighty terabytes of public Parler posts. The scraped data included more than a million videos, which maintained GPS metadata identifying the exact locations where the videos were recorded, as well as text and images. Some of the data included posts that users had attempted to delete.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How 80TB of Parler Posts, Videos, and Other Data Was Leaked|url=https://gadgets.ndtv.com/social-networking/news/80tb-parler-posts-photos-videos-leaked-by-security-researchers-law-enforcement-can-use-to-identify-january-6-attackers-2350920|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023432/https://gadgets.ndtv.com/social-networking/news/80tb-parler-posts-photos-videos-leaked-by-security-researchers-law-enforcement-can-use-to-identify-january-6-attackers-2350920|archive-date=January 12, 2021|access-date=January 11, 2021|website=NDTV Gadgets 360}}</ref><ref name="Every deleted post" /> The researcher stated her intention was to make a public record of "very incriminating" evidence against those who took part in the storming. The data dump was posted online, and the researcher has said the data will eventually be made available by the Internet Archive.<ref name="Every deleted post"/><ref name="Back to haunt"/> According to ''Ars Technica'' and ''Wired'', the reason the researcher was able to scrape the data so easily was due to the Parler website's poor coding quality and security flaws. There was [[Web API security|no authentication]] or [[rate limiting]] on the API, and deleted posts were "soft deleted": a flag was added to hide them, but they were not actually deleted.<ref name="Back to haunt" /><ref name="Absurdly Basic Bug">{{cite magazine |last1=Greenberg |first1=Andy |title=An Absurdly Basic Bug Let Anyone Grab All of Parler's Data |url=https://www.wired.com/story/parler-hack-data-public-posts-images-video/ |access-date=January 12, 2021 |magazine=Wired |date=January 12, 2021 |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112164535/https://www.wired.com/story/parler-hack-data-public-posts-images-video/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Strange Violent">{{Cite magazine|last=Temperton|first=James|date=January 16, 2021|title=The strange, violent death of Parler|magazine=[[Wired UK]]|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/parler-shutdown-future|url-status=live|access-date=January 17, 2021|archive-date=January 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117110649/https://www.wired.co.uk/article/parler-shutdown-future}}</ref> According to ''Wired'', although all posts downloaded by the researcher were public, because Parler didn't scrub metadata, GPS coordinates of many users' homes had likely been exposed.<ref name="Absurdly Basic Bug" />

==Company==
Parler was founded in 2018 by John Matze and Jared Thomson. In November 2020, ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported that Rebekah Mercer, an investor known for her support of conservative individuals and organizations, had helped fund Parler. After the report was published, Mercer described herself as having "started Parler" with Matze, and she has been described by CNN as a co-founder of the company.<ref name="Horwitz-WSJ" /><ref name="meet-rebekah-mercer" /><ref name="Funding from Mercer" />

<!--Owners-->Parler has not disclosed the identities of its owners; however, Dan Bongino publicly announced in June 2020 that he had purchased an "ownership stake" of unspecified value.<ref name="fortune" /><ref name="colton" /> In November 2020, Matze wrote in a Parler post that Parler was owned by "myself, a small group of close friends and employees", and had as investors Bongino and Parler [[chief operating officer]] Jeffrey Wernick<!--Do not link [[Jeffrey Wernick]], that's a different person.--><ref name="Ingram-NBC" /> In November 2020, a [[Digital fake|manipulated image]] circulated on social media of a Fox News [[Lower third|chyron]] that appeared to report that [[George Soros]], a billionaire [[Philanthropy|philanthropist]] and the frequent target of antisemitic conspiracy theories, was a majority owner of Parler. Soros does not own Parler and Fox News never reported the claim; the image had been digitally altered from a photo of a television showing a Fox broadcast about a different subject.<ref>{{Cite news|date=November 13, 2020|title=Fact check: George Soros does not own Parler and Fox News has not reported that he does|publisher=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-foxnews-soros-parler-idUSKBN27T1EO|url-status=live|access-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114212334/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-foxnews-soros-parler-idUSKBN27T1EO|archive-date=November 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Evon|first=Dan|date=November 13, 2020|title=Does Billionaire George Soros Own Parler?|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/george-soros-own-parler/|access-date=November 13, 2020|publisher=[[Snopes]]}}</ref><ref name="Arielle Pardes">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/story/parler-app-free-speech-influencers/ |title=Parler Games: Inside the Right's Favorite 'Free Speech' App |first=Arielle |last=Pardes |date=November 12, 2020 |access-date=December 10, 2020 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |archive-date=December 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208182152/https://www.wired.com/story/parler-app-free-speech-influencers/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

On January 29, 2021, Parler's board, controlled by Mercer, terminated Matze from his position as CEO.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Flood|first=Brian|date=2021-02-03|title=Parler CEO John Matze says he's been terminated by board: 'I did not participate in this decision'|url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/parler-ceo-john-matze-says-hes-been-terminated-by-board-i-did-not-participate-in-this-decision|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203235100/https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/parler-ceo-john-matze-says-hes-been-terminated-by-board-i-did-not-participate-in-this-decision|archive-date=February 3, 2021|access-date=2021-02-03|website=Fox Business|language=en-US}}</ref> In a memo Matze sent to ''[[Fox Business]]'', he claimed that "I did not participate in this decision" to terminate him and that he had "met constant resistance to [his] product vision, [his] strong belief in free speech and [his] view of how the Parler site should be managed".<ref name=":1" /> In interviews, Matze said his termination may have been related to a dispute within the company regarding the limits of free speech and his belief that the company needed to "crack down" on domestic terrorism and violence.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|title=Parler CEO Is Fired After 'Constant Resistance' Inside The Conservative-Friendly Site|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/03/963832594/parler-ceo-is-fired-after-constant-resistance-inside-the-conservative-friendly-s|access-date=2021-02-04|website=NPR.org|language=en|archive-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215184223/https://www.npr.org/2021/02/03/963832594/parler-ceo-is-fired-after-constant-resistance-inside-the-conservative-friendly-s|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Matze also had all his Parler shares stripped from him when he was fired.<ref name=":6" /> With Matze gone, an executive committee of Mercer, British lawyer Matthew Richardson, and former [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]] activist [[Mark Meckler]] runs the company.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Paul|first=Elizabeth Culliford, Katie|date=2021-02-04|title=Parler CEO John Matze says he was fired by board|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-parler-ceo-idUSKBN2A33B0|access-date=2021-02-04|archive-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215184159/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-parler-ceo-idUSKBN2A33B0|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="mac-gray" /> Parler announced on February 15, 2021, that Mark Meckler would serve as the company's interim CEO while they searched for someone to take the position.<ref name="Verge online" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite web|last=Molina|first=Brett|date=January 15, 2021|title=Parler relaunches under new CEO after free-speech site was deplatformed amid Capitol riot|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/02/15/parler-return-social-media-site-favored-conservatives-relaunches/6748897002/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215184200/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/02/15/parler-return-social-media-site-favored-conservatives-relaunches/6748897002/|archive-date=February 15, 2021|access-date=January 15, 2021|website=[[USA Today]]|language=en-US}}</ref> Parler announced on May 17, 2021, that they had named George Farmer as CEO. Farmer is a former candidate for and financial supporter of the [[Reform UK|Brexit Party]] (now known as Reform UK) in the United Kingdom.<ref name="Needleman-WSJ">{{Cite news|last=Needleman|first=Sarah E.|date=May 17, 2021|title=Parler Names George Farmer as CEO as It Returns to Apple's App Store|language=en-US|work=[[Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/parler-names-george-farmer-as-ceo-as-it-returns-to-apples-app-store-11621268630|access-date=May 20, 2021|issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite web|last=Culliford|first=Elizabeth|date=May 17, 2021|title=Parler returns to Apple's App Store, names new CEO|url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/parler-returns-apples-app-store-names-new-ceo-2021-05-17/|access-date=May 20, 2021|website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> Prior to joining Parler, Farmer worked at Red Kite, a [[hedge fund]] founded by his father [[Michael Farmer, Baron Farmer]], worked for the veteran metals trader known as "Mr Copper", was a former treasurer of the United Kingdom's [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], and was the former head of [[Turning Point UK]], a British offshoot of the American conservative [[nonprofit organization]] [[Turning Point USA]].<ref name=":10" />

On March 2, 2021, [[NPR]] reported that Parler's lawyers had written in a legal filing that the company's valuation was "approaching $1{{nbs}}billion".<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|last=Allyn|first=Bobby|date=2021-03-02|title=Former Parler CEO Matze Stripped Of All Company Shares Upon Firing, Sources Say|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/03/02/973083119/former-parler-ceo-matze-stripped-of-all-company-shares-upon-firing-sources-say|access-date=2021-03-03}}</ref>

On October 12, 2021, Parler announced in an email that they would be moving their headquarters from Henderson, Nevada to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Tennessee]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pfleger|first=Paige|date=2021-10-12|title=Far-right friendly social media website Parler will move its headquarters to Nashville|url=https://wpln.org/post/far-right-friendly-social-media-website-parler-will-move-its-headquarters-to-nashville/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-20|website=[[WPLN-FM]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Jorge|first=Kaylin|date=2021-10-13|title=Right-wing friendly social media site Parler moving headquarters to Nashville, Tennessee|url=https://local21news.com/news/nation-world/right-wing-friendly-parler-social-media-cite-moving-headquarters-to-nashville-tennessee-free-speech-development-conservative-george-farmer|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-20|website=[[WHP-TV]]}}</ref>

Seth Dillon, the CEO of conservative [[Christianity|Christian]] [[news satire]] website ''The Babylon Bee'', has been listed as a director of Parler.<ref name=":11" /><!--Employees-->

{{As of|2020|11}}, Parler had about thirty employees.<ref name="Horwitz-WSJ" />

==Funding==
In a June 27, 2020, interview with CNBC, Matze said he wanted to raise an institutional round of financing soon, although he expressed concerns that [[venture capital]]ists might not be interested in funding the company because of ideological differences.<ref name="cnbc" /> ''Fortune'' wrote in June 2020 that the company planned to add advertising to the service soon.<ref name="fortune" /> They also planned to generate revenue based on an ad matching scheme whereby companies would be matched with Parler influencers to post sponsored content, with Parler taking a percentage of each deal.<ref name="fortune" /><ref name="abrown" /> ''Slate'' has questioned Parler's business model, writing that Parler's plan to rely on advertising revenue "seems far from foolproof" given the [[2020 Facebook ad boycotts|2020 advertising boycotts]] of Facebook by some large brands who objected to hateful content on the platform.<ref name="What's the deal?" /> NBC also questioned whether corporations would be interested in advertising alongside "controversial material" on Parler.<ref name="Ingram-NBC" /> Matze said in an interview on June 29, 2020, that the business was not profitable.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Fordham|first=Evie|date=June 29, 2020|title=Alternative social media Parler added 1M users in a week, still not profitable: CEO|url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/parler-user-numbers-john-matze|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715044059/https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/parler-user-numbers-john-matze|archive-date=July 15, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2020|publisher=[[Fox Business]]}}</ref> {{As of|2021|1}}, Parler had not received any known venture capital, although in February 2021, ''Buzzfeed News'' reported that Parler had recently sought to obtain funding from [[J. D. Vance]]'s venture-capital firm [[Narya Capital]].<ref name="Ingram-NBC" /><ref name="Strange Violent" /><ref name="mac-gray">{{cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/trump-parler-ownership |title=Donald Trump's Business Sought A Stake In Parler Before He Would Join |website=[[Buzzfeed News]] |first1=Ryan |last1=Mac |first2=Rosie |last2=Gray |author-link2=Rosie Gray |date=February 5, 2021 |access-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-date=February 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215184213/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/trump-parler-ownership |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2022, Parler raised $20 million in funding.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|last1=Primack|first1=Dan|last2=Lawler|first2=Ryan|date=2022-01-07|title=Conservative social media app Parler raises $20 million|url=https://www.axios.com/conservative-social-media-app-parler-raises-20-million-7c8ca6e6-63ba-4149-a08d-5fbf59be87b0.html|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-10|website=Axios}}</ref>

In September 2022, Parler announced $16M in Series B funding, for a total of $56M in funding to date.<ref>{{Cite web |last=FinSMEs |date=2022-09-19 |title=Parler Closes $16M in Series B Funding |url=https://www.finsmes.com/2022/09/parler-closes-16m-in-series-b-funding.html |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=FinSMEs |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Gab (social network)]]
* [[Gettr]]
* [[Truth Social]]
* [[List of social networking websites]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
{{refn|name="Stop the Steal"|<!--From [[Stop the Steal]]-->
* {{Cite news|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90572604/trump-stop-the-steal-facebook-groups|url-status=live|access-date=November 14, 2020|title=The pro-Trump 'Stop the Steal' movement is still growing on Facebook|first=Mark|last=Sullivan|date=November 5, 2020|website=[[Fast Company]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109104631/https://www.fastcompany.com/90572604/trump-stop-the-steal-facebook-groups|archive-date=November 9, 2020}}
* {{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/06/tea-party-linked-activists-protest-against-election-fraud-us-cities|url-status=live|access-date=November 14, 2020|title=Tea party-linked activists protest against 'election fraud' in US cities|first=Lois|last=Beckett|date=November 6, 2020|work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107140705/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/06/tea-party-linked-activists-protest-against-election-fraud-us-cities|archive-date=November 7, 2020}}
* {{Cite web|url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/right-wing-operative-ali-alexander-leads-stop-the-steal-campaign/|url-status=live|date=November 5, 2020|title=Right-Wing Operative Ali Alexander Leads 'Stop the Steal' Campaign|first1=Kristen|last1=Doerer|access-date=November 14, 2020|website=[[Right Wing Watch]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105164317/https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/right-wing-operative-ali-alexander-leads-stop-the-steal-campaign/|archive-date=November 5, 2020}}}}
{{refn|name="QAnon"|<!--From [[QAnon]]-->
* {{cite journal|last1=Guglielmi|first1=Giorgia|date=October 28, 2020|title=The next-generation bots interfering with the US election|journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]|volume=587|issue=7832|page=21|doi=10.1038/d41586-020-03034-5|pmid=33116324|bibcode=2020Natur.587...21G|doi-access=free}}
* {{cite web|last=Neiwert|first=David|author-link=David Neiwert|date=January 17, 2018|title=Conspiracy meta-theory 'The Storm' pushes the 'alternative' envelope yet again|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/01/17/conspiracy-meta-theory-storm-pushes-alternative-envelope-yet-again|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222090824/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/01/17/conspiracy-meta-theory-storm-pushes-alternative-envelope-yet-again|archive-date=February 22, 2020|access-date=October 14, 2018|publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]}}
* {{cite news|last1=Collins|first1=Ben|last2=Zadrozny|first2=Brandy|author-link2=Brandy Zadrozny|date=August 10, 2018|title=The far right is struggling to contain Qanon after giving it life|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/far-right-struggling-contain-qanon-after-giving-it-life-n899741|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206142455/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/far-right-struggling-contain-qanon-after-giving-it-life-n899741|archive-date=February 6, 2020|access-date=November 9, 2020|publisher=[[NBC News]]}}
* {{cite news|last=Rosenberg|first=Eli|date=November 30, 2018|title=Pence shares picture of himself meeting a SWAT officer with a QAnon conspiracy patch|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/12/01/pence-shares-picture-him-meeting-swat-officer-wearing-qanon-conspiracy-patch/|url-status=live|access-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424083952/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/12/01/pence-shares-picture-him-meeting-swat-officer-wearing-qanon-conspiracy-patch/|archive-date=April 24, 2020}}
* {{cite news|last=Iannelli|first=Jerry|date=November 30, 2018|title=Broward SWAT sergeant has unauthorized 'QAnon' conspiracy patch at airport with VP, report says|work=[[Miami New Times]]|url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/broward-south-florida-cop-wore-qanon-patch-with-mike-pence-10938571|url-status=live|access-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108141808/https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/broward-south-florida-cop-wore-qanon-patch-with-mike-pence-10938571|archive-date=November 8, 2020}}
* {{cite web|last=Moore|first=McKenna|date=August 1, 2018|title=What You Need to Know About Far-Right Conspiracy QAnon|url=https://fortune.com/2018/08/01/qanon-conspiracy-trump-tampa-rally/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217075706/https://fortune.com/2018/08/01/qanon-conspiracy-trump-tampa-rally/|archive-date=December 17, 2019|access-date=November 9, 2020|website=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]}}
* {{cite news|last=Roose|first=Kevin|author-link=Kevin Roose|date=July 10, 2019|title=Trump Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Right-Wing Social Media Trolls|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/business/trump-social-media-summit.html|url-status=live|access-date=July 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211050808/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/business/trump-social-media-summit.html|archive-date=February 11, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}}}
}}

==External links==
* {{official}}

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