Rapper Kanye West is not buying conservative social media application Parler. In Octorber, Parler-owner Parlement Technologies and West issued a joint statement that the two has reached an agreement to buy the social media platform. The decision had been made in mid-November and was in the interest of both parties, the company said. The financial terms of the terminated deal were not disclosed.
“Parler will continue to pursue future opportunities for growth and the evolution of the platform for our vibrant community,” Parler said in a statement.
Earlier, Parlement Technologies said that the deal is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2022. “The terms of the proposed transaction would include ongoing technical support from Parlement and the use of private cloud services via Parlement’s private cloud and data center infrastructure,” it said.
Kanye West, who now goes by the the name, Ye moved to buy the Parler after he was booted off Twitter and Instagram for antisemitic posts that violated the social media giants’ policies. Launched in 2018 as an alternative to Twitter, Parler marketed itself as a free speech network and gained popularity with the U.S. conservatives and its purchase will give Ye the control to share his opinions without any gatekeeping.
Parler, on the other hand, could get a new life as it struggles to compete with other right-wing friendly platforms like Trump’s Truth Social, which recently made a comeback on Google Play Store after getting banned in August over “insufficient” content moderation policies. Last month, Parler also returned to Google Play Store after it was removed in January 2021 on allegations of inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol.
