Parler CEO Is Fired After ‘Constant Resistance’ Inside The Conservative-Friendly Site

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Parler CEO John Matze said on Wednesday that the company’s board ousted him from the conservative-friendly social network late last week.





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Technology
Judge Refuses To Reinstate Parler After Amazon Shut It Down

Founded in 2018, Parler is one of a growing number of so-called alternative social media sites that take a more laissez-faire approach to online content, just as the major platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been moving in the opposite direction by attempting to regulate the rapid proliferation of disinformation, harassment and violent rhetoric.

Many conservatives feel social media companies have a bias against them in policing content, but there is no definitive evidence to support this claim.

Rebekah Mercer, who controls Parler’s board and was an early investor in the company, is a major donor to conservative causes, including Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Both Mercer and Matze have long portrayed themselves as online underdogs attempting to challenge the outsize power Big Tech has over online speech, especially conservative voices.



Technology
Conservatives Flock To Mercer-Funded Parler, Claim Censorship On Facebook And Twitter

That shared vision to buck the powers of large technology companies appears to have been strained recently, according to Matze’s statement.

«Over the past few months, I’ve met constant resistance to my product vision, my strong belief in free speech and my view of how the Parler site should be managed, Matze wrote. «For example, I advocated for more product stability and what I believe is a more effective approach to content moderation. Over the past few weeks, I have worked endless hours and fought constant battles to get the Parler site running but at this point, the future of Parler is no longer in my hands.

While attendees of the Jan. 6 riots did use Facebook and Twitter to organize, Parler appears to have played a singular role in both the planning of the siege and the chronicling of the violence as it engulfed the Capitol, according to a review of videos and other posts by ProPublica.

Since Parler was went offline, other alt-platforms like MeWe and Gab, and encrypted messaging service Telegram, have seen a significant influx of new users looking for like-minded people who also shun Facebook and Twitter.

NPR Tech Correspondent Shannon Bond contributed to this report.