Starboard, the new owner of Parler, is closing the platform temporarily but indefinitely.
A few months after E decided not to buy the platform anymore, Parler had a new owner. And then he finds himself disconnected. Starboard, owner of several conservative newspapers and magazines such as American Wire News, closed Talk temporarily but indefinitely, just after completing its acquisition of the company from Parliament Technologies. The buyer will conduct a “strategic evaluation”of the platform during this period and hopes to reinstate Parler users in existing channels.
Starboard, the new owner of Parler, is closing the platform
Starboard clearly displays its strategy. While she still sees market opportunities for communities that feel censored or marginalized, she sees the need to reorganize Parler. “No one can think that a conservative Twitter clone can still be a viable business,” the company explains.
Speak was launched in 2018 as a free speech alternative to Twitter. The platform only offered a few very simple rules and little moderation control. However, like Gab, it quickly became a meeting place for users with very radical views. Parler came under fire in January 2021 when some suggested that the platform was being used to stage an attack on the Capitol. Apple and Google have removed the app from their stores until the network acquires moderation tools worthy of the name and, in particular, prevents users from inciting violence.
Temporarily but indefinitely
Ye offered to buy Parler à Parlement in late 2022 after being banned from Twitter for his anti-Semitic tweets, but the plan was ultimately canceled in November 2022, with the star citing “difficulties”. Shortly thereafter, Parliament laid off most of their wages. The company then reorganized its operations, focusing on cloud services for companies that felt that third parties might turn them off due to their content.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Starboard CEO Ryan Coyne said he hopes to keep users on Parler despite its competition from other sites such as Truth Social, former US President Donald Trump’s platform. However, the lack of an exact return date leaves them with several options…