Parler Is Officially Back With a New Online Hosting Platform

Ever-controversial social media application Parler is officially open to users after weeks offline thanks to a new cloud-based hosting platform. The site, which was revived sometime on Feb. 15, 2021, thanks to the hosting platform Skysilk, promises a host of new features and rules that claim any content inciting violence will be removed.

Parler has been shrouded in controversy ever since the app became a bastion for those with right-wing political tendencies to voice their opinions to a largely uncensored platform, and with every major app store opting to remove it in January, it has largely faded off over the last few weeks of inactivity.

So, with the site revived under a new host, what exactly do we know about Parler's present and future? Here's a breakdown of the known details surrounding the social media site's fight for survival.

Skysilk, a small-scale cloud-based service company based out of California, is the new internet host for Parler, a move that comes amidst other larger tech companies attempting to fully censor the social media site and its users. 

In an interview with NPR, the company's Chief Executive, Kevin Matossian, opened up about the company's decision to take on the highly controversial social media site as a client, citing free speech as the root motive for the move. 

"Let me be clear, Skysilk does not advocate nor condone hate, rather, it advocates the right to private judgment and rejects the role of being the judge, jury, and executioner," Kevin told the publication of his company's decision to host Parler, a move that while controversial to many, is lauded by the site's extensive conservative user base, all of whom have been shut out of their preferred social media site for weeks.

For users of Parler, the relaunch of the site under its new terms, direction, and hosting come amidst a bevy of user issues that many are being confronted with when attempting to access their accounts. The browser-based version of the site is operating at a significantly slower pace, while mobile app users still can't seem to access their accounts at all.

Beyond that, Parler is still not accepting any new users, and its new guidelines may very well drive away plenty of former fans of its unbiased and unmoderated communication network. Per the site's new content guidelines, the company will be using an algorithm coupled with dedicated staff members to moderate any posts that seem to be inciting violence. They also announced a "trolling filter" to blur out offensive content, but users will still be able to click through it if they choose.

Despite these logistical issues and a bevy of legal issues still stemming from its initial ban from Apple, Google, and Amazon's app stores, it appears that Parler and its ranking officials are doing everything they can to keep the site afloat by any means necessary.