(Reuters) – Google Alphabet Inc on Friday suspended Parler’s social networking service from their app store, citing posts inciting violence and calling for “robust” content modeling from the app preferred by many US President supporters Donald Trump.
Apple Inc on Friday also gave the service 24 hours to submit a detailed appraisal plan, urging participants to use the service to coordinate Wednesday’s siege of the U.S. Capitol building.
The actions of the two Silicon Valley companies mean that the network, which is seen as a haven for Twitter-excluded people, could be available for a new download on the world’s leading mobile app stores. -world within a day. It would still be available in mobile browsers.
Social media users in the United States have turned to Parler, Telegram’s messaging app and Gab’s mobile social site, citing more aggressive policing of political views on mainstream platforms such as Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc. . Twitter permanently casts doubt on President Trump’s account Friday.
In suspending the service, Google, which owns software that powers Android phones, called its policy against apps that incite violence and cited recent examples from Parler, saying: Friday’s introduction introduced on Friday “How do we get our country back? About 20 goals or so coordinated ”and another promoting“ Million Militia March ”on Washington.
Parler CEO John Matze said in a post Friday that Apple was adding standards to Parler that did not apply to him.
In a statement, Google said “for us to be able to distribute an app through Google Play, we want apps to implement a robust mode for robust content. Due to this ongoing and imminent threat to public safety, we are blocking the app’s listings from the Play Store to address these issues. ”
In a letter from the Apple Store review team to Parler seen by Reuters, Apple called the partners of the move to storm the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday.
“Content that threatens the well-being of others or is intended to incite violence or other lawless acts on the App Store has not been accepted,” Apple said in the letter.
Apple gave Parler 24 hours to “remove all unreasonable content from your app … as well as any content that now reports harm to people or attacks on government resources or at any time in the future. ”The company also asked Parler to submit a written plan“ to model and filter this content ”from the app.
Apple declined to comment.
Matze, who claims to be a libertarian, founded Parler in 2018 as a “free-speech” option on mainstream platforms but began courting consumers who were bent over backwards as he moved. Trump’s obvious supporters there.
Among those who have come in are reporter Candace Owens, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who brought herself to the door of the New York office on Twitter in November 2018 to file a complaint with the site. In November, Conservative activist Rebekah Mercer confirmed that she and her family, which includes her father and hedge fund investor Robert Mercer, have funded Parler.
“Apparently they believe Parler is responsible for ALL user-generated content on Parler,” Matze said. “So (sic) with the same logic, Apple has to be responsible for EVERY action their phones have taken. All car bombs, all illegal cell phone conversations, all illegal crimes committed on iPhone, Apple must also be held accountable, ”he wrote. “Standards that don’t apply to Twitter, Facebook or even Apple itself apply to Parler.”
Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford, Joseph Menn and Stephen Nellis; Edited by Leslie Adler, Cynthia Osterman and Daniel Wallis