Parler interim CEO says Trump, Biden welcome on platform
Mark Meckler expects the social media platform to be back in the App Store 'pretty shortly'
Social media platform Parler, after being offline for more than a month, has relaunched using a new web hosting service and is welcoming President Biden and former President Trump to the site.
“We would love to have the former president on our website,” Parler Interim CEO Mark Meckler said on FOX Business' “Varney and Co.” “But to be honest with you, we'd love to have the current president. We'd love to see Joe Biden on the site as well.”
The alternative social media platform is open to all political views, he added.
“We welcome everybody,” Meckler said.
PARLER ANNOUNCES IT'S BACK ONLINE WITH NEW HOSTING SERVICE
Parler, which has more than 20 million users and was first launched in August 2018, is up and running after backlash from some tech companies and liberals for not moderating its content.
While the relaunch experienced some glitches, Meckler said a “major update” Thursday night has solved most of the tech issues.
“People forget how complex it is to get a stack like this -- a technology stack -- up and running from the ground up when you've been completely deplatformed,” he said.
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Meckler believes there is a conspiracy against his company from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to shut down a “very viable and dangerous competitor.” He said the conspiracy is even in Congress and “the halls of power.”
“This is a broad conspiracy to silence free speech,” he told FOX Business. “They intended to wipe us from the face of the earth, but we're back, we're strong.”
Apple and Google previously suspended Parler from its app stores, and Meckler said his company is now having “positive” ongoing conversations with Apple.
“I expect we will be back on the App Store here pretty shortly,” he said,
He said the same is not true for Google, which he believes to be a “free speech denier.”
He went on to say the site also has new independent partners when it comes to servers, following a suspension from Amazon Web Services in January.
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Parler faced criticism for not moderating content relating to the violent Jan. 6 Capitol riot. In response, Meckler said very little organizing and planning was done on his company’s site compared to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Meckler said Parler will continue to be a “free speech platform.”
According to Meckler, measures are being taken, including artificial intelligence with “human intervention,” to screen comments. He emphasized that the only content that will be excluded from the site is illegal activity.
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“If it's legal to say it, then you're going to be able to say it on Parler,” Meckler said.
FOX Business’ Talia Kaplan contributed to this article.