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United States Apple

Apple Will Let Parler Back on the App Store (cnn.com) 123

Apple has approved Parler's return to the iOS app store following improvements the social media company made to better detect and moderate hate speech and incitement, according to a letter the iPhone maker sent to Congress on Monday. From a report: The decision clears the way for Parler, an app popular with conservatives including some members of the far right, to be downloaded once again on Apple devices. The letter -- addressed to Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Ken Buck and obtained by CNN -- explained that since the app was removed from Apple's platform in January for violations of its policies, Parler "has proposed updates to its app and the app's content moderation practices." On April 14, Apple's app review team told Parler that its proposed changes were sufficient, the letter continued. Now, all Parler needs to do is to flip the switch. "Apple anticipates that the updated Parler app will become available immediately upon Parler releasing it," Apple's letter said. Parler, an alternative to Facebook and Twitter that bills itself as a haven for free speech, was removed from major tech platforms in early January following the US Capitol riots of Jan. 6.
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Apple Will Let Parler Back on the App Store

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  • Double standard (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 19, 2021 @09:53AM (#61290292)

    If they held facebook to the same standard it would probably never get back on the app store

    • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

      by fermion ( 181285 )
      The stated purpose of Facebook and Twitter is different from parler. The later was specifically deployed because mainstream apps did allow sufficient free speech to plan an insurrection against the US. It is like saying because we allow gun stores, we also have to allow bomb stores.
      • by e3m4n ( 947977 )
        you dont need that to plan an insurrection. Any app is enough to drive people to a website blog or old fashioned forum / bulletin board. Once you have the eyes end ears, you safe the objectionable content for other communication. You could launch an IRC channel, or even put cryptic messages on USENET (yes its still around). In fact the more old school you go with it, the harder it is to even be aware that its occurring. If you really were planning a REAL insurrection, and not some half-assed protest gone wr
    • Re:Double standard (Score:4, Interesting)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Monday April 19, 2021 @10:19AM (#61290392) Homepage Journal

      The only requirement is that you have a timely moderation system. It doesn't really matter how shit it is, just that you have one.

      Facebook does have one. Parler didn't because it was only a small network (less than 1 million total users when it first got booted off) and didn't have much cash owing to having no revenue streams (like most startups), so couldn't afford a team large enough to either moderate or to develop moderation tools.

      The new re-written Parler claims to have """AI""" systems for hiding nasty posts, presumably some kind of word filter, and a new moderation team that will hopefully keep the moderation queue short.

      • by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        Parler didn't because it was only a small network (less than 1 million total users when it first got booted off) and didn't have much cash owing to having no revenue streams (like most startups), so couldn't afford a team large enough to either moderate or to develop moderation tools.

        Bullshit. Parler moderated a lot of content and they kept up with it. It was never a "free speech network" because there were banned topics of conversation. Topics and users were routinely deleted and banned practically instant

      • Wrong.

        Parler DID have a moderation system.

        They used it to kick liberals off for disagreeing with them.

        That is why they got booted so fast. They proved that they could moderate, but only did so for bullshit reasons.

    • *sigh* (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ArchieBunker ( 132337 ) on Monday April 19, 2021 @10:20AM (#61290394)

      https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a... [cbsnews.com]

      It seems Apple was not alone in believing Parler was unable to moderate content.

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    • Re:Double standard (Score:5, Informative)

      by RoccamOccam ( 953524 ) on Monday April 19, 2021 @12:20PM (#61290938)

      From Forbes:
      The Department of Justice has now charged 223 people for their participation in the events of Jan. 6. A comprehensive analysis [forbes.com] of those charging documents performed by Forbes demonstrate that Parler’s role was minimal, compared to that of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

      Of the 223 charging documents, 73 reference posts on Facebook as evidence, 24 reference posts on YouTube, 20 single out Instagram posts (owned by Facebook), and only eight highlight posts on Parler.

      • "Yes, only trillion dollar companies with billion dollar AI departments and 16,000 full time post moderators are responsible enough to escape cancellation."

    • How many Apple employees use Facebook vs Parler. There is your answer.
  • by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Monday April 19, 2021 @09:54AM (#61290294)
    Apple is happy to do business with you. Good to know.

    And no, this isn't me being incendiary. Parler is funded by Mercer family. Google that if you want to know why that automatically taints the platform. Nevermind their practice of banning left wing commentators [independent.co.uk]

    Parler isn't adding anything positive to the national conversation, nor was it intended to. It's there to cause trouble.
    • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

      USERS CLAIM

      I'm sure that happened.

    • by e3m4n ( 947977 )
      if its broken-clock platform becomes the last straw to end all the similar platforms forever, it will be its 'right twice a day' moment in history. Personally I wish they would all go down in flames. Maybe a few hellfire missiles launched by a couple predator drones into the main server farms for twitter and facebook might calm people down for a while. Just trigger the fire alarms first to make sure no-one is inside, wouldnt want any human casualties.
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Parler is back on the app store now they have alienated all the right wing free speech enthusiasts by reporting crimes to the FBI and having a minimal level of moderation.

      • yeah the FBI will be all over it but the FBI is over any page full of extremists ("4 Chan Party Van? LoL just kidding FBI!").

        The point of Parler is to have one more stop in the pipeline of radicalization. You start on right of center local TV (owned by Sinclair media), move on to Fox News, then OAN & Newsmax, then on to Talk Radio. All the while Facebook is sending you further and further down the rabbit hole. Eventually you get banned for FB for reposting incitements to violence. Normally you'd be
        • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          Are they though? They don't appear to have been prepared for the attack on the Capitol, despite it being openly discussed on Parler and elsewhere.

          The NSA had a similar problem. Collected everything but didn't know what to look for. Maybe the FBI does scrape every post but has trouble spotting the important stuff.

    • Apple is fine making money. They are not trying to dictate what politics you believe in or not. But if you are going to be in their walled garden~ you better be playing by some sort of rules. I don't like Parlor as it is just an echo-chamber for Right wing nuts, but if Parler is able to provide the promised upgrades in moderating and blocking obvious (with a long legal president of) unprotected speech. Then I don't see too much of an issue of them being allowed back in.

      I am a big fan of Trust but Verify

      • by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Monday April 19, 2021 @11:45AM (#61290782)
        I'm concerned with radicalization that leads to violence. Parler is in integral tool in that process and was purpose built for it. Again, do some googling on the Mercer family. We don't need to "Trust but verify". They've long since proven themselves unfit to lead the national discussion.

        e.g. what I'm saying is you can't divorce Parler from it's extremist roots.

        And this isn't a Free Speech issue. It's a private company. Apple is free to do business with Parler. I am free to be disgusted that they would be willing to do so. I will call out Apple for doing business with a company I find abhorrent just as I would if they were doing business with the KKK.
        • I am too very concerned about Parler and its cohorts. As much as I would personally delight to see every house waving a yellow flag, to be arrested for the horrible crime of disagreeing with me, and not not following my actual moral values. This really isn't who I am, or what America Stands for. We need to have a degree of tolerance towards people who we cannot stand, and give them some benefit of the doubt.

          These sites run by bad people for bad people isn't the problem, the problem is we seem to be missi

        • Planned parenthood started with racist leanings. Does that taint them forever?

          • It started in 1916. *Everything* was racist back then. Racism was deeply engrained in American culture. And not the systemic stuff you can pretend doesn't exist, but the hard core stuff.

            Maybe in 110 years Parler might not be a corporate funded den of extremism, but that doesn't seem like a chance worth taking. When PP started they were literally the 1st birth control clinic in America. Parler isn't the 1st anything. Even 4chan beat them to being an extremist cess pool.

            So no, it's not a fair compariso
    • Parler isn't adding anything positive to the national conversation, nor was it intended to. It's there to cause trouble.

      Not unlike other social media.

      Quite a few of our lawmakers abuse the shit out of Twitter as if it was a government-issued bullhorn that is now required for the damn job.

      Tweets used to have the power to move bowels over a toilet. Now the wrong tweet has the power to move entire countries to war. What the hell is wrong with this picture...

  • by gnasher719 ( 869701 ) on Monday April 19, 2021 @09:56AM (#61290304)
    Apple reviews your app, doesn't like it, rejects it, you change it until Apple accepts it, and when it's accepted it goes back on the store. Not much to see here. I suppose if Apple gets complaints that supposed moderation doesn't happen, it will be blocked again.
  • Apple feels god like! What is the old saying, fool me once....?
  • As lousy as their security is, why would anyone sensible put their software on any device they own?
  • Hopefully Parler will be able to stop its extremist users from trying to overthrow America again.

  • The nimrods on Parler are the asswipes I prefer to avoid in my day-to-day life. Disappointing to see Apple support their platform.

    #PunchNazis

  • It should be noted that "hate speech" has no legal definition or standing in America. Even every attempt to establish a precedent about it has been struck down as unconstitutional in America, and rightly so. Saying you "hate " and think they should be removed from office is protected speech, and should be.

    The only "hate speech" policies that exist are private tech companies enforcing it as they see fit (in a very biased way).

    Violation of "hate speech" policies isn't unlawful. It's just ToS violation.

  • Why? Will App Store have a new 'Propaganda' section?

The more they over-think the plumbing the easier it is to stop up the drain.

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