Apple refuses to allow Parler back onto the App Store

Apple recently rebuffed an attempt by social network Parler to return to the App Store after a review of the company’s new content moderation policies, documents show.

The right-leaning social media platform was removed from the App Store in January, in the aftermath of the assault on the US Capitol. At the time, Parler was told it would not be allowed to return until it established moderation policies that prevent threats of violence circulating on the platform.

Although Parler amended its community guidelines in mid-February, Apple does not believe the changes provide adequate protection against the dissemination of hateful content.

• We've built a list of the best business smartphones right now
• Check out our list of the best mobile plans for business
• Here's our list of the best business tablets available

“After having reviewed the new information, we do not believe these changes are sufficient to comply with App Store Review guidelines,” wrote Apple, in a letter to Parler. “There is no place for hateful, racist, discriminatory content on the App Store.”

In support of its findings, Apple cited various instances in which users had posted misogynistic, homophobic and racist content. The company also provided screenshots that highlighted the use of white nationalistic imagery in user profiles.

“Simple searches reveal highly objectionable content, including easily identified offensive uses of derogatory terms regarding race, religion and sexual orientation, as well as Nazi symbols. For these reasons, your app cannot be returned to the App Store for distribution,” Apple told Parler.

Parler did not immediately respond to our request for comment.

Parler controversy

Marketed as the “free speech” social network, Parler is renowned for its laissez-faire attitude to content moderation and has long resisted any form of user surveillance.

These attributes meant Parler was the odds-on favorite to become the platform of choice for ex-US President Donald Trump after he was banned from Twitter and Facebook, and even topped the App Store download charts for a period.

After the storming of the Capitol Building, however, a raft of partners came out against the social network. Both Apple and Google, which control the two largest mobile application stores in the world, removed Parler from their marketplaces over violent content that remained live on the platform.

The nail in the coffin was delivered by Amazon Web Services, which withdrew its hosting services and effectively removed Parler from the public internet. It took the social network over a month to secure another content distribution partner in the form of domain registrar Epik, known for its conservative sympathies.

Despite its return to action, the future remains uncertain for the platform, which has been hamstrung by its removal from major application marketplaces.

The decision to block Parler’s return to the App Store will add yet more fuel to debates over the ethics and legality of the Parler boycott and the need for new regulation targeting the world’s largest tech and social media companies.

• Here's our list of the best VPN services around

Via Bloomberg

from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/3le1beA