The social media platform known as Parler has been removed from the internet after Amazon AWS revoked their hosting services. This comes just a short time after their app was removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play. There was a period of time where users could access the website directly without using the app, but since the website is gone then that effectively removes Parler altogether. All of this action comes as a result of the continued fallout from the Capitol incident.
Several major news outlets report that several “bad actors” organized the Capitol rally chaos on Parler. Now, it is possible that these same people were also communicating using other networks like Facebook and Twitter. This piece of information doesn’t matter because Parler already has a reputation of being a haven for “right wing extremists” even if that label is inaccurate. The fact is that Parler is nearly an exclusive right-wing social media network that is built on a marketing strategy of next to no censorship.
Then there is the case of Attorney Lin Wood. He gained steam in the Conservative movement, especially among Trump loyalists, when he successfully defended Nick Sandmann after the Lincoln Memorial incident with the “Native Elder” Nathan Phillips. Wood has since positioned himself at the center of other Trump-centric movements to the point where he is now listened to as a true source of information by some, regardless of how absurd. So when he called for violence against the Vice President due to “treason”, Parler found themselves between a rock and a hard place.
Censorship of one of the biggest conservative voices on Parler’s platform needed to happen. The problem with that is Parler is supposed to be the anti-censorship place. Especially of conservative voices. So they were slow to censor Wood. By the time they finally deleted a tweet or two, it wasn’t enough. The Capitol incident had already happened and the wheels had already begun to spin. Once Apple and Google kicked Parler’s app off of their stores, it was only a matter of time before Amazon AWS hosting kicked them off, as well as a variety of other private companies that Parler uses.
Parler users may be upset that Parler is gone (at least… for now) but it may be in their best interest. Rumor has it that the website was hacked and a ton of data was breached. Parler’s hack has not been confirmed, but what has been confirmed is how vulnerable the website is. One person described Parler’s infrastructure as a house with no windows and a cardboard door. Some information was accessed during the period of time where several of Parler’s WordPress Plugins were disabled due to companies refusing to work with them any more, but it wasn’t necessarily… “hacked.”
If someone’s garage door is open, and a thief takes a wrench from a workbench, is that considered breaking and entering? No, but it is still considered theft and most likely burglary. And if Parler’s security is so lax, then that might not be the place where direct messages are sent to someone with the hopes that the general public does not see them. Parler will need quite a long time to get beyond the events of the Capitol and to fix the obvious vulnerabilities in it’s website before they can come back strong.
SOURCES:
Amazon Suspended Parler From Its Web Hosting
Far-Right Insurrectionists Organized Capitol Siege on Parler | Southern Poverty Law Center
All Parler user data is being downloaded as we speak! : ParlerWatch
Social media platform Parler goes dark after Amazon cloud suspension | Fox Business
WATCH: U.S. Capitol terrorists are now on the no-fly list & crying at airports
Every Deleted Parler Post, Many With Users’ Location Data, Has Been Archived
Parler CEO Says App Could Go Offline for a Week From Sunday After Amazon Suspension
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