SAN FRANCISCO, April 15 ― Digital media company Starboard yesterday said it has completed its purchase of Parler, and was temporarily shutting the platform down to assess its future.
Launched in 2018, Parler became a haven for Donald Trump supporters and far-right users who felt they have been censored on mainstream social media platforms.
“No reasonable person believes that a Twitter clone just for conservatives is a viable business any more,” Starboard said in message posted at the Parler website.
Starboard said it would focus on Parler's cloud and internet technology infrastructure, which it considered a fit for its holdings.
“We at Starboard see tremendous opportunities across multiple sectors to continue to serve marginalised or even outright censored communities ― even extending beyond domestic politics,” the company said in the post.
Starboard, previously known as Olympic Media, is the parent company of conservative news platforms American Wire and BizPac Review.
Starboard chief executive Ryan Coyne said in the post that Parler's user base and assets should help build up Starboard's media and publishing business.
The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Parler announced in January that its planned sale to Kanye West was called off, as the rapper-businessman now known as Ye continued to alienate fans and commercial partners with anti-Semitic comments.
Parler was temporarily removed from Apple and Google app stores last year after failing to moderate calls for violence after the attack on the US Capitol by supporters of the former president. ― AFP
