Kanye West is acquiring Parler, the alternative social media platform favored by many conservatives.
Parler’s parent company announced the deal Monday morning, saying West has made “a groundbreaking shift in the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again.”
The acquisition comes after West, who legally changed his name to Ye, was temporarily blocked by Twitter this month over an anti-Semitic tweet.
The exact terms of the deal with Parler were not disclosed, though Parler said he has yet to enter into a definitive deal with West and hopes to close in the fourth quarter. Parler’s parent, Parlement Technologies, would remain involved providing technical services and cloud support.
The Parler purchase could make West the latest celebrity to own a social media platform after former President Donald Trump’s attempt to win over conservatives with Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s proposed takeover of Twitter.
“In a world where conservative views are considered controversial, we have to make sure we have the right to express ourselves freely,” West said in a statement from Parler.
In the weeks following the January 6 riots, Parler was removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for what the companies said was a failure to adequately moderate the violent rhetoric on the platform. Parler has since been restored to both app stores after making changes to their content moderation practices.
Source: CNN Brasil
Joe Jameson, a technology journalist with over 2 years of experience, writes for top online news websites. Specializing in the field of technology, Joe provides insights into the latest advancements in the industry. Currently, he contributes to covering the world stock market.
