No matter where you fall on political lines, we can all agree that Donald Trump’s presidency really shook things up on social media. From Trump receiving a lifetime ban on Twitter to the launch of “censorship-free” social media app, Parler, politically charged content has forever changed the way social media apps manage content.
The folks behind Parler are now taking things one step further to aid companies who fear they may be “canceled.” On Friday, Parler announced the acquisition of cloud company, Dynascale, with the intent to restructure and provide a platform of cloud-based services for businesses that may be at risk of being banned by major providers.
Parler CEO George Farmer will lead the new parent company, known as Parlement Technologies, which is already garnering interest from conservative business owners. Parlement Technologies has just wrapped up a round of fundraising, totaling around $56 million, and will acquire Dynascale’s 50,000 square-foot data center in California.
Parler saw overnight success in January 2021, especially after then-President Trump was banned on Twitter and Facebook for his involvement during the January 6th insurrection. Users flocked to the app, seeking a like-minded community who feared censorship on other outlets. The success quickly came to a halt when Apple and Google removed the app from their app stores that same month. Subsequently, Amazon ended hosting services.
Parler returned to Apple’s App Store in April 2021 after agreeing to moderate content and comply with the company’s standards, but only returned to the Google Play Store in September 2022. There’s no doubt that Parler’s woes and competition like Trump’s Truth Social app have contributed to a decreasing user base, with less than 7,000 downloads in August 2022.
At this time, Parlement Technologies hosts Parler and DeepRedSky, which is an NFT marketplace that has become popular with Trump supporters. According to the press release, Parlement Technologies plans to offer a wide range of services including front-of-house customer viewpoints as well as back-of-house web infrastructure, with a focus on free speech.
While they have purchased their own infrastructure to ensure they stay online, only time will tell if there will be enough revenue generated from businesses to keep Parlement Technologies afloat.
