(UnitedVoice.com) – During former President Donald Trump’s administration, Parler became a popular social media platform for Conservatives. It promoted itself as the alternative to Silicon Valley’s liberal platforms, like Facebook and then-Twitter. However, it was removed from app stores after the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. Now, the platform is hoping for a comeback.
In April 2023, Starboard acquired Parler. The new owners shut the platform down, saying it wasn’t “a viable business anymore.” At that time, the company promised there was going to be a revamp of the social media platform, and it would be back up. That time has reportedly come.
On December 29, PDS Partners acquired Parler. The limited liability company is owned by Elise Rhodes-Pierotti, the former chief marketing officer of Parler, and others. The Hill interviewed Rhodes-Pierotti, and she said PDS Partners expects to relaunch the conservative social media site sometime in the first quarter of 2024.
Rhodes-Pierotti is going to resume her job as chief marketing officer. Ryan Rhodes will serve as the platform’s CEO. He is well-known in Republican circles as the founder of the Iowa Tea Party and former director of Iowa’s branch of Ben Carson’s 2016 presidential campaign.
In early December, Rhodes said the company was “committed to bringing Parler back online.” The platform became one of the most downloaded apps on Apple’s App Store. But after the attack on the Capitol, Big Tech companies accused Parler of not doing enough to stop violence on its platform.
In March 2021, the company sent a letter to Congress arguing that it had, in fact, warned law enforcement officials about an impending attack. The letter stated it contacted the FBI at least 50 times, and “even alerted law enforcement to specific threats of violence being planned at the Capitol.”
Rhodes and Rhodes-Pierotti want to put the platform’s past behind it and move forward. The chief marketing officer said they have a “renewed commitment to [Parler’s] original version” and want it to be a place for everyone.
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