'X isn't good enough': Internet mocks conservative social media app Parler as it teases 2024 relaunch

WASHINGTON, DC: Chaos erupted online as Parler, one of the Trump-era social media apps linked to the Capitol riot, teased plans for a relaunch early next year ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Ryan Rhodes, Parler's new CEO, hinted in a statement that the app would be back up by January 1, with a full relaunch in February. “Our mission is clear: to provide a secure and inclusive environment for open dialogue,” he said.

“While not aiming to compete with Truth Social, our monitoring measures are dedicated to keeping harmful content like terrorism, child porn, and trafficking off our platform,” his statement continued according to NBC News.

Elise Pierotti, a former Parler executive, told the outlet that the company now has three co-owners: herself, Rhodes, and Jaco Booyens, an anti-sex trafficking campaigner.

She stated that they purchased the app on December 15 for an undisclosed fee from Starboard, a digital media business that acquired Parler in April.

Pierotti continued by claiming that she will return as CMO, with Booyens as CSO, and that Parler will be situated in Plano, Texas.

The app's relaunch coincides with an expanding conservative social media scene, including apps associated to former US President Donald Trump, as well as Elon Musk's X - formerly Twitter - becoming a magnet for right-wing users.

Pierotti expressed confidence that the redesigned Parler will be available in the Apple and Google app stores, citing the two tech behemoths' decision to let Musk's X app in their stores despite the program's lax speech policies.

“As long as X is able to get in the app store the way they’re running, I don’t see any reason we wouldn’t be able to,” she told NBC News.

Why Parler was banned in April?

Parler was founded in 2018 in response to the regulations against hate speech, disinformation, and other unacceptable content on established social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

In the days preceding the Capitol riots, the platform was flooded with posts about violent political threats, conspiracies, and insurgency-related content.

Google removed Parler from its store "in light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat," but reinstated it a year later. The tech giant then allowed Parlet back after it agreed to abide by the Play Store rules and modified its compliance measures.

The platform then struggled to sustain its user base after being effectively banned from app stores on practically all of the world's devices.

It has been inactive since April when it was purchased by digital media conglomerate Starboard, months after an arrangement with musician Kanye West, officially known as Ye, fell through in November.

Internet reacts to Parler’s relaunch

As soon as Parler’s new CEO teased plans for a relaunch early next year ahead of the 2024 presidential election, social media erupted with reactions.

“What ... X isn't good enough?” one user remarked.

“Are Apple and AWS going to knee-cap them again this time?” the second user questioned.

“Omg the horror!” the third user warned while the fourth one said “Shows you how badly truth social is doing if they are trying to bring back that turd of an app.”

“I would be willing to bet if they try any of the BS they pulled in the 2020 election with mass cheat by mail we'll get to see what a real "insurrection" looks like,” the fifth user fumed.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.