Post by soulflower on Jan 9, 2021 10:40:47 GMT -5
Google suspends Parler social networking app from Play Store; Apple gives 24-hour warning
I agree with the last paragraph. No other app or social media company is held accountable for what individual users post. Seems to be a double-standard.
Given that Android (Google) and iOS (Apple) are the only two major players in the Smartphone app industry, banning Parler is effectively the same as government censorship.
Most private businesses like Twitter and Parler have the right to ban users who violate their TOS but Google and Apple are pretty much monopolies at this point so they shouldn't be allowed to discriminate just as BGE or Verizon have to provide services to everyone regardless of their political stances or background.
Alphabet Inc’s Google on Friday suspended the Parler social networking service from its app store, citing posts inciting violence and demanding “robust” content moderation from the app favored by many supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Apple Inc on Friday also gave the service 24 hours to submit a detailed moderation plan, pointing to participants using the service to coordinate Wednesday’s siege of the U.S. Capitol building.
The actions by the two Silicon Valley companies mean that the network seen as a haven for people expelled from Twitter could become unavailable for new downloads on the world’s main mobile phone app stores within a day. It would still be available in mobile browsers.
Apple Inc on Friday also gave the service 24 hours to submit a detailed moderation plan, pointing to participants using the service to coordinate Wednesday’s siege of the U.S. Capitol building.
The actions by the two Silicon Valley companies mean that the network seen as a haven for people expelled from Twitter could become unavailable for new downloads on the world’s main mobile phone app stores within a day. It would still be available in mobile browsers.
Matze, who describes himself as libertarian, founded Parler in 2018 as a “free-speech driven” alternative to mainstream platforms but began courting right-leaning users as prominent supporters of Trump moved there.
Those who have joined include commentator Candace Owens, Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who handcuffed herself to the door of Twitter’s New York office in Nov. 2018 to protest a ban on her by the site. In November, conservative activist Rebekah Mercer confirmed that the she and her family, which includes her father and hedge-fund investor Robert Mercer, have provided funding to Parler.
“Apparently they believe Parler is responsible for ALL user generated content on Parler,” Matze said. “Therefor (sic) by the same logic, Apple must be responsible for ALL actions taken by their phones. Every car bomb, every illegal cell phone conversation, every illegal crime committed on an iPhone, Apple must also be responsible for,” he wrote. “Standards not applied to Twitter, Facebook or even Apple themselves, apply to Parler.”
Those who have joined include commentator Candace Owens, Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who handcuffed herself to the door of Twitter’s New York office in Nov. 2018 to protest a ban on her by the site. In November, conservative activist Rebekah Mercer confirmed that the she and her family, which includes her father and hedge-fund investor Robert Mercer, have provided funding to Parler.
“Apparently they believe Parler is responsible for ALL user generated content on Parler,” Matze said. “Therefor (sic) by the same logic, Apple must be responsible for ALL actions taken by their phones. Every car bomb, every illegal cell phone conversation, every illegal crime committed on an iPhone, Apple must also be responsible for,” he wrote. “Standards not applied to Twitter, Facebook or even Apple themselves, apply to Parler.”
I agree with the last paragraph. No other app or social media company is held accountable for what individual users post. Seems to be a double-standard.
Given that Android (Google) and iOS (Apple) are the only two major players in the Smartphone app industry, banning Parler is effectively the same as government censorship.
Most private businesses like Twitter and Parler have the right to ban users who violate their TOS but Google and Apple are pretty much monopolies at this point so they shouldn't be allowed to discriminate just as BGE or Verizon have to provide services to everyone regardless of their political stances or background.