Apple sets terms to let Parler back into App Store

Washington

PARLER, the social network popular among conservatives, could return to Apple's App Store if it changes how it moderates posts on the platform, the tech giant's chief executive officer Tim Cook said on Sunday.

Apple suspended all downloads of the Parler app following the attack on the US Capitol on Jan 6, citing postings on the platform that could incite further violence. Google and Amazon also cut ties with the company.

Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Mr Cook justified suspending Parler, favoured by supporters of President Donald Trump. "We looked at the incitement to violence that was on there, and we don't consider that free speech and incitement to violence has an intersection," he said.

Parler sued Amazon on Monday after Amazon Web Services cut off the platform's access to Internet servers.

Parler alleged Amazon was violating antitrust laws and acting to help social rival Twitter, which also has banned Mr Trump for language that could incite violence In Apple's case, "we've only suspended them", Mr Cook said. "So, if they get their moderation together, they would be back on" the App Store.

Parler's popularity skyrocketed after Twitter permanently banned Mr Trump following the Capitol attack. The day Apple suspended downloads for Parler, it was the top-downloaded app from the App Store in the United States. Google has also banned downloads of the app.

Parler, which launched in 2018, operates much like Twitter, with profiles to follow and "parleys" instead of tweets.

In its early days, the platform attracted a crowd of ultraconservative and even extreme-right users. But more recently, it has signed up many more traditional Republican voices. AFP