Google has reinstated the social media network Parler with more than 20 million users to its Play Store on Friday, more than a year after banning the channel, which was popular with conservatives after the uprising in the US Capitol.
According to Google, Parler was reinstated to the Play Store after fulfilling criteria such as withdrawing offensive posts and blocking users who violate the app’s rules.
Google removed the Parler app from its online store just days after the devastating January 6, 2021, attack on the US government’s headquarters, citing “egregious content” that could fuel further conflict.
The invasion of the Capitol was carried out by far-right loyalists of former President Donald Trump, who aimed to invalidate the result of the 2020 election that he lost to Joe Biden. Trump blames lies and propaganda across social media such as Twitter for his defeat, but reports that the invasion of the American seat of government was instigated by sites such as Parler.
After the uprising in January 2021, versions of the Parler app for iPhones and iPads were also removed from Apple’s App Store but reintroduced in May last year.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.