Capitol Riot

Google Suspends Parler App Amid ‘Public Safety Threat'

The Parler website home screen on a laptop computer
Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Google has suspended the social media app Parler from the Google Play store due to "continued posting ... that seeks to incite ongoing violence."

In a statement, Google said it had reminded Parler for months of its policy that requires apps to moderate user-generated content. However, content seeking to incite violence has continued to be posted without moderation, according to Google.

Google's action comes after the U.S. Capitol riot over which five died when supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Trump's ardent supporters have flocked to Parler, Gab and other “free speech” social media sites that cater to conservative voices. Some were used by the people who stormed the Capitol.

Google's full 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 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.“ -- Google Spokesperson 

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