Apple joined Google on Saturday to remove the right-wing social network Parler from its App Store.
The self-described “free-speech” platform has been surging in popularity as extremists switch over when they or their messages are blocked from mainstream social media.
Apple, like Google, dropped the app for the network’s lack of policing on misinformation and incitement to violence. Apple had complained earlier to Parler that the network was “used to plan, coordinate and facilitate the illegal activities” in the attack Wednesday on the Capitol that left five people dead, including a police officer.
“We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity,” Apple said in a statement Saturday. “Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people’s safety.”
Apple gave Parler 24 hours on Thursday to establish restrictions on harmful speech, according to an email obtained by Buzzfeed News.
“We have received numerous complaints regarding objectionable content in your Parler service, accusations that the Parler app was used to plan, coordinate, and facilitate the illegal activities in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021 that led (among other things) to loss of life, numerous injuries, and the destruction of property,” said the email. “The app also appears to continue to be used to plan and facilitate yet further illegal and dangerous activities.”
“This is very huge,” Amy Peikoff, Parler’s policy chief, told Fox News Friday, when Apple first threatened to bounce the app. Without access to the App Store, Peikoff said, “we’re toast.”
Google provided the same justification on Friday when it dropped Parler from its app offerings on the Google Play store. Company policies require that apps which display user-generated content have “moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence,” Google said in a statement.
Apple’s crackdown is a bigger problem for Parler than Google’s because Apple requires all iPhone apps to go through its App Store. The New York Times noted. Google cut Parler out of its Android app store, but the app can be obtained elsewhere and loaded on the phones.
Twitter, Facebook and Reddit have also launched major crackdowns on misinformation, hate speech and incitement to violence in the wake of the storming of the Capitol Wednesday. The action comes amid harsh criticism of the businesses for providing a platform for users to spread dangerous lies and conspire to commit violence.
Twitter on Friday permanently banned Donald Trump for “incitement of violence” after he encouraged his supporters to move on the Capitol, where frightened lawmakers huddled in fear beneath their desks as rioters rampaged through the building.
Many observers had speculated that Trump would next pop up on Parler. He can still message there, even though the app has been removed from the Apple and Google app stores, but his reach would be far smaller, given the different market sizes.
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