Kanye West acquiring conservative social media app Parler

Kanye West is buying Parler, the Twitter-like conservative social media site, reports Variety. This follows West being locked out of Twitter and restricted on Instagram after making anti-semitic statements on the platforms.

While details of the acquisition have not been shared, West and Parlement Technologies released a joint statement: "Ye has become the richest Black man in history through music and apparel and is taking a bold stance against his recent censorship from Big Tech, using his far-reaching talents to further lead the fight to create a truly non-cancelable environment.”

West also said in a statement, “In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves.”

Parler was launched in 2018 to “fight against Big Tech, Big Government, censorship and cancel culture.” Both Apple and Google banned the app from their stores following the January 6, 2001 riot at the Capitol, but both have restored them after Parler implemented policies restricting hate speech and violent content.