Google Pulls Parler as Apple Threatens the Same in Wake of Capitol Riot
Tech giants say some content hosted in app seeks to incite violence in violation of rules
Parler CEO John Matze said the social-media network believes its existing rules against incitements to violence meet Apple’s standards. Photo: Bridget Bennett for The Wall Street Journal By Updated Jan. 8, 2021 11:45 pm ET Alphabet Inc.’s Google late Friday suspended Parler, a free-speech focused social-media network favored by conservatives, from its app store, and Apple Inc. threatened to do the same in the wake of the U.S. Capitol riot.
Google said it acted because of “continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the U.S.,” which violated its requirements for sufficient moderation of egregious content for apps it distributes. A company representative said Parler would remain suspended until it addressed the issues “in light of
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 9 ― Owners of the two biggest mobile app stores took action yesterday against the Parer social networking service because of posts inciting violence, with Alphabet Inc's Google removing it and Apple Inc warning it may do the same. Google said the app favored by many supporters.
Google removed Parler from its Play Store, and Apple threatened a similar action after the social-media service was among those used to organize the riots this week at the Capitol in Washington. Parler Chief Executive John Matze, meanwhile, alleges that standards set for them don t apply to others.
Parler, the alternative social media platform popular with conservatives, has been banned from the Google Play Store, Google told CNN Business Friday evening.
Google said its app store has long required that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies in place to prevent the spread of violent rhetoric. We re aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the U.S., a Google spokesperson said. We recognize that there can be reasonable debate about content policies and that it can be difficult for apps to immediately remove all violative content, but for us to distribute an app through Google Play, we do require that apps implement robust moderation for egregious content. In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat, we are suspending the app s listings from the Play Store until it addresses these issues.