Google has removed Parler, a popular communication app by Trump supporters, from the Google Play Store, making it very difficult for Android users to download and access the app.
Google said in a statement that it needs communications apps to have content rating policies that remove violent posts, and that Parler’s post was inciting more violence in the wake of the US Capitol riots earlier this week.
App deletion comes as violence in the U.S. Capitol By Trump supporters on Wednesday that left five people dead have revived calls for telecommunications and technology companies to scrutinize their platforms, especially when it comes to calls to incite violence.
Twitter permanently blocked President Donald Trump’s account on Friday because it felt Trump’s latest tweets incited violence, while Facebook barred Trump from posting until the next administration’s inauguration later this month.
Why Is Parler Removed?
Screenshots of the Parler app seen by CNBC users show users sending clues to shooting groups, as well as calls to bring weapons to the president’s inauguration later this month. In a statement, Google said it had warned the app about its content rating policy earlier this year.
Parler was launched in 2018, and emerged earlier this year as a pro-Trump alternative to Twitter with limited content ratings. “We’re a community town square, an open town square, with no censorship,” Parler CEO John Matze said in June. “If you can say it on the street of New York, you can say it on Parler.”
The Google Play Store is not the only way to install apps on Android phones. Users have the option of alternative app stores, or a process called side-loading, which manually installs software without going through an app store.
The Parler app will not be removed from users’ phones, and is still accessible on the web, even if the website had a loading problem on Friday.
Parler did not immediately return a request for comment about the removal of the app store on Friday. Matse, Parler’s manager, posted on his social media account a message from Apple on Friday suggesting that Apple plans to remove the app from its iPhones store. Apple’s representative did not immediately comment.
Google’s Statement
“In order to protect user safety on Google Play, our longstanding policies require that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence. All developers agree to these terms and we have reminded Parler of this clear policy in recent months. We’re aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the U.S. We recognize that there can be a 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.”
