Rapper Ye Agrees to Acquire Conservative Social Network Parler
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, strikes a deal to purchase the free speech-focused social media platform Parler. The acquisition promises to provide the rapper with an uncancelable space to express his views without content moderation.
Rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, reaches an agreement to acquire Parler, a social media platform that promotes itself as an uncancelable free speech network. The financial details of the deal remain undisclosed, but the transaction is expected to close in the current quarter. Parlement Technologies, the parent company of Parler, continues to provide technical support, private cloud services, and data center infrastructure to the social network after the sale.
This acquisition comes after major tech companies lock Ye out of his Instagram and Twitter accounts earlier this month for posting antisemitic messages. Ye frames the purchase as a necessary step to protect conservative opinions, stating that individuals need a guaranteed right to express themselves freely in a landscape where such views face heavy scrutiny. Parler markets itself as a safe haven for conservatives and fans of former President Donald Trump who feel censored on mainstream platforms.
Despite its strong stance against censorship, Parler implements a content moderation layer last year in an effort to regain access to Apple's App Store. The platform currently amasses a little over 250,000 monthly active users on its mobile apps, according to market intelligence data. Both Ye and Parlement Technologies executives express high expectations for the deal, claiming it changes the way the world thinks about free speech and ensures Ye never faces removal from social media again.