After the attack on the US Capitol in January 2021, Amazon subsidiary AWS pulled the plug on Parler. Now the Twitter clone with primarily right-wing followers is back online. The details on Parler’s return.
In mid-January 2021, Parler did exactly what Peter Lustig recommended at the end of every Löwenzahn show: shut down. But the farewell from the network was unintentional – Amazon’s subsidiary AWS had previously cut the network’s server capacity.
Since no other provider was willing to step in after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the platform, which is particularly popular with right-wingers, had to be taken offline for the time being.
Parler wanted to return with Russian help
Shortly after the block, a static page appeared on the net. For this, the platform had found a partner in the company DDos-Guard, which was to pave the way back into the net.
The company, based in Scotland and run by two Russians, has been linked to racist Internet sites in the past, Reuters reported.
Parler returns with parking garage look
For almost a month, the Parler network lay dormant, but now it is back online – with a new appearance that at first glance looks like the website of a parking garage provider. The current host remains unknown.
Users who already have their own account can log in again. New registrations should be possible again from next week.
Mark Meckler is the new Parler CEO
As if the server squabbles weren’t enough, the right-leaning Twitter clone also parted ways with its co-founder and CEO John Matze during the lockdown.
The board had already fired him effective immediately on Jan. 29, 2021, Matze himself told Reuters and Fox News. Now a new boss must take over: the network has appointed Mark Meckler, who co-founded the right-wing group Tea Party Patriots, as interim CEO.
Parler’s future remains uncertain
What happens next for the largely unfashionable network, however, is still up in the air. So far, Google and Apple have not allowed the Parler app back into their app stores.
However, Donald Trump has not yet chosen a new social home after his permanent Twitter ban. If he were to choose Parler, it would likely result in a significant push. The platform already showed great interest in the current ex-president in 2020.
Parler has offered the Trump Organization 40 percent of the company, according to Buzzfeed – in return, Donald Trump should post primarily on the right-wing Twitter clone. To this end, there were corresponding talks with Trump’s campaign team in the summer and in November 2020 shortly after the election defeat.
