Apple is going to permit Parler to return to the App Store after the niche social network app submitted a version with improved moderation tools to detect hate speech better.
Apple Allows Parler Back into the App Store
This was revealed in a letter that Apple sent to Congress, seen by CNN.
Addressed to the United States Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Representative Ken Buck (R-CO), the letter explains Parler's developers have "proposed updates" after Apple pulled the app from the iOS and iPadOS platforms in January 2021 for violations of its content policies.
The changes made apparently involve unspecified improvements to the app's content moderation practices, Apple's letter continues. Parler had been developing an artificial intelligence-powered content moderation system before getting pulled from the App Store. It's unclear whether the "proposed updates" take advantage of that algorithm.
"Apple anticipates that the updated Parler app will become available immediately upon Parler releasing it," the letter reads. It doesn't say when the app might re-release.
At the time of this writing, Parler was unavailable on the App Store.
Interestingly, Apple's letter briefly addresses Parler's accusations that Apple, Google, and Amazon have colluded to ban Parler from the market for mobile apps.
Apple, Google, and Amazon vs. Parler
From the CNN report:
The tech companies have rejected Parler's accusations of anti-competitive behavior. In Monday's letter, Apple said its decision to remove Parler from its app store was 'an independent decision' and that Apple 'did not coordinate or otherwise consult with Google or Amazon with respect to that decision.'
Billed as a haven for free speech, Parler became increasingly popular with activists on the far right after Facebook and Twitter kicked off former President Donald Trump's social media accounts over inciting Capitol riots of January 6.
Parler as a Haven for Free/Hate Speech
Parler was also removed from Google's platforms for the same reasons. And because Amazon removed Parler's account from Amazon Web Services, which had been hosting the app, developers were unable to quickly cobble together an alternative web app.
Google and Amazon also said they had removed Parler from their respective platforms due to the presence of violent speech on the platform. The company fired back at those accusations, saying it moderates any piece of content that users report.
As a result of those moves, Parler users couldn't use the service on their mobile devices and the web for weeks until the company eventually found an internet company willing to host Parler on its servers. By the time the service became functional again on February 15, however, Parler's CEO had already been terminated by the company's board of directors.