Parler

Parler is a microblogging service that is both a website and an app. It was formerly available on the apple app store and the google play store. Users who register for accounts are able to follow the accounts of other users.

Anyone who verifies their identity by providing government-issued photo identification during signup is identified with a red badge. On june 30, 2020, after the wave of bans, matze published a parler post outlining some of the service's rules. Ars technica reported in november 2020 that the clause requiring users to cover legal fees had been removed from parler's user agreement following negative media coverage. In june and july 2020, parler banned a spate of left-wing accounts, including parody accounts and accounts that were critical of parler or the prevailing viewpoints on the service.

The social network, which resembles twitter, takes its name from the french verb meaning “to talk” but is often pronounced like the english word “parlor”. And it’s fast becoming the hottest new app on the right, with high-profile proponents like senator ted cruz recruiting new users.

A direct messaging feature is also built into the platform, allowing users to privately contact each other. Public figures are verified on the app with a gold badge, Parler Login  and parody accounts are identified with a purple badge.

Unlike twitter, the feed of posts – called "Parleys" or "Parlays" – from followed accounts appears to a user chronologically, instead of through an algorithm-based selection process. Parleys are limited to 1,000 characters in length, and users can "Vote" or "Echo" the posts of other users whom they follow, functions that have been compared to twitter's "Like" and "Retweet" functions.

After a surge in popularity among conservatives in november 2020, the independent noted that parler had again been accused of removing left-leaning users and removing content that contradicted or was critical of popular opinions expressed there. Although some high-profile figures have created accounts on parler, many of them remain more active on and have substantially larger follower bases on mainstream social networks. Mic questioned how long parler's spike in popularity would last, citing as an obstacle the reluctance among those with large twitter followings to migrate to a new service.