Apple has removed Parler, an application program popular with Trump supporters, from its iPhone App Store on Saturday.
Official Statement
Apple said the posts and contents on the pro-Trump communication network related to the US Capitol violence last week included violent calls, in violation of Apple’s laws against unsavoury content.
“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,” an Apple representative said in a statement. “Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people’s safety. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues.”
Google removed Parler from its Android app store, Google Play, on Friday.
Why The Removal?
App deletion comes in the wake of violence in the U.S. Capitol by a Trump-supporting mob on Wednesday that left five dead. Violence has prompted telecommunications and technology companies to monitor their platforms, especially when it comes to calls to promote violence.
Twitter permanently blocked President Donald Trump’s account on Friday because it felt Trump’s latest tweets incited violence, while Facebook barred Trump from posting until the inauguration of the Biden administration later this month.
About Parler
Parler was launched in 2018, and emerged earlier this year as a pro-Trump alternative to Twitter with limited content ratings. “We’re a community town square, an open town square, with no censorship,” Parler CEO John Matze said in June. “If you can say it on the street of New York, you can say it on Parler.”
Parler remains accessible even with a web browser, which Apple has previously identified as a way to reach iPhone users without seeking Apple’s permission.
Apple has not faced the same content rating challenges as companies such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. It does not work on most platforms where users post or trade ideas.
But Apple manages its App Store, which is the only way to install apps on the iPhone. Apple removes apps frequently in violation of its long-term guidelines, and previously banned apps for right-wing users, including the Infowars app in 2018, and before that, Qdrops, a Qanon conspiracy-related app.
In a message sent to Parler on Saturday, Apple said the communications application was failing to monitor and remove content that encouraged illegal activity, citing two Apple guidelines, one prohibiting questionable content and requiring applications with user-generated content to remove potentially harmful content.
“Parler has not upheld its commitment to moderate and remove harmful or dangerous content encouraging violence and illegal activity, and is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines,” according to Apple’s message.
An earlier message from Apple sent on Friday, reported by Buzzfeed, and partially posted by Parler CEO on his account, cited a tweet from the Sleeping Giants activist group with screenshots of the Parler app, including when a user called on his followers to attend the inauguration “carrying our weapons.” Apple gave Parler 24 hours to add content moderation to its app or Apple would remove it.
Parrler did not immediately return a request for comment Friday. “Anyone who buys an Apple phone is obviously using it. They obviously know what’s best for you by telling you which apps to use and which not to use, ”said Matse, its chief executive officer, at Parler’s post office.
Synopsis
- Apple has removed Parler from its the iPhone App Store because posts on the pro-Trump social network related to the U.S. Capitol riot last week called for violence.
- The removal of the app comes as the violence at the U.S. Capitol has renewed calls for social media and technology companies to more closely moderate their platforms, especially when it comes to calls to incite violence.
