Parler is Back Online
Parler is back online.
Parler had been offline since Jan. 11, the day Amazon kicked it off its servers for not censoring users as hard as Twitter and Facebook do.
Interim CEO Mark Meckler tells Just the News that some existing Parler users are already live and that the rest should have access later today. "New users should be able to sign up for the service within a week or so," Meckler says. “We are off of the Big Tech platform, so that we can consider ourselves safe and secure for the future."
While rebuilding its servers, Parler ousted CEO John Matze because, according to part-owner Dan Bongino, Matze did not agree with the "free speech vision" of the other owners.
Before Amazon kicked Parler offline and Apple removed it from its app store, prominent conservatives were leaving Twitter and Facebook to move exclusively to Parler, including radio legend Mark Levin.
I discussed Parler potential after Levin's decision:
Over the next four years, the biggest story will not be Joe Biden’s presidency, Russia, or China — it will be Big Tech’s power, influence, and biases. Big Tech leaders Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter dictate entertainment, corporate America and, increasingly, the knowledge of Americans. Readers and viewers can know only what they have access to, and Big Tech now decides what they see and view online.
Decision-makers residing in Silicon Valley have taken a clear, leftward political interest that’s beyond the ones in Hollywood and sports. As a result, a number of independent minds have created accounts on Parler, a free-speech alternative to Twitter and Facebook.
Now with a stable foundation, Parler has tremendous upside. While Parler will never reach the total number of users of Twitter and Facebook, the follower accounts of influential voices can exceed the number on competing platforms. Levin has 4.2 million followers on Parler, which is more than his 2.8 million on Twitter and 1.6 million on Facebook. For figures like Levin, engagement and monetization are of much greater importance than the raw number of accounts a platform reaches.
And then there is former President Donald Trump. Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, says the former president will return to social media sooner rather than later. Trump is banned from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, so he must either create his own social media service (which he is considering) or join a platform like Parler. President or not, Trump is still the biggest needle mover on the internet. Should Trump choose Parler, all of sudden Parler's name will have a home on the cable news networks, all of which are eagerly waiting to add Trump's name back into their broadcasts.
For now, expect Parler to pick up where it left off, adding more notable conservative and independent personalities to its brand. Credit to all those behind the scenes at Parler who got the site back up and running.
Oh, and most importantly, follow OutKick's accounts now on Parler: @ClayTravis, @BobbyBurack, and @OKTC.