Parler Review – Is Parler Right-Leaning?
Parler is a social networking service for users who are banned from mainstream social networks. The users of this service tend to be a combination of those who oppose the policies of mainstream social networks as well as conservatives.
User base
Parler is a far right-leaning social network with a user base of millions. It has a similar design to Twitter, with an echo function. The results page jumps around while the user waits.
The platform began in response to a rising trend of content labeling on Twitter. Many users sought a more open forum for discussing politics online. In fact, the site boasts a user base of over 2 million monthly active users.
During the build-up to the US presidential election, Parler saw a surge of new sign-ups. This included users from Brazil and Saudi Arabia. However, the growth was interrupted in early January.
On January 8, Parler ranked as the top downloaded app on the Apple App Store. That was until the site was pulled by Apple for breaking its guidelines. Similarly, it was removed from Google’s app store.
While Parler is marketed as a platform that supports free speech, it also encourages controversial speech that other social media sites may view as harmful. One of its biggest flaws is that it lacks content moderation.
Politics
Parler, a social media platform, is a haven for far-right extremists. The website doesn’t reveal much about its operations, other than that it is based in Henderson, Nevada, and that it is “uncancelable.”
Founded by John Matze and Rebekah Mercer, who are known for their conservative investments, Parler is a free-speech social network. It has been called an underground railroad by right-wing pundit Candace Owens.
As of December, Parler has about 40,000 users. That’s a fraction of the number of users on Facebook and Twitter, and it’s still a small percentage of those on Google. But it is quickly catching on among the right-wing crowd. In fact, many of the most prominent politicians and right-wing celebrities have joined the network.
On the surface, Parler looks just like Facebook and Twitter. But the fact is, it has been used as a haven for lurid material, hate speech, and conspiracy theories. Some of the more outrageous users include the notorious Laura Loomer, a conservative provocateur who has been active on Parler since January.
Privacy policy
Parler’s privacy policy is a little different than that of other social platforms. It claims to protect users’ personal information and enables them to control how their data is used. But experts warn that it does not address some important issues, such as how user data is stored.
For example, the policy states that Parler will use user data “for marketing, advertising, and other purposes.” That’s right: Parler sells user data for profit.
Despite its claims to respect user privacy, Parler collects an unprecedented amount of personal information. Besides name and email, it also collects geolocation data, device information, search terms, and profile photo. The data is stored for up to 18 months.
When you create an account on Parler, you are asked to provide a scan of your government-issued photo ID. You must also agree to the Parler Terms of Service and community guidelines.
Parler’s community guidelines prohibit blackmail, spam, and threats of harm, and limit the types of content you can post. They also have rules against obscene or sexual content, and content that does not have serious artistic value.
Ideological diversity
The ideological diversity of Parler is skewed towards the right, with white supremacists, far-right extremists, and conspiracy theorists sharing their views openly on the platform. Some of these individuals have been found to be followers of Trump or members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group of agitators.
In its early days, Parler was funded by conservative donor Rebekah Mercer. She is also on the board of trustees of the Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes conservative values.
The app also hosts racist slurs and Nazi imagery. It has a reputation for promoting conspiracy theories, which it does through videos and images. These theories include “plandemic” and the “COVID-19” vaccine. Many Parler users believe that powerful people are planning to cause a health crisis.
However, while the far right is heavily represented on the platform, it isn’t the only segment. Non-extremist politicians are also active on Parler, including former Trump official Richard Grenell.
While the user base on Parler is still relatively small, the site is growing quickly. It has grown to be the most downloaded social app on the Apple store. This is mainly due to the efforts of conservatives to recruit others for pro-Trump events.