Why did Google Suspend Parler “free speech” app
Once again there is a raging debate on the negatives of social media outweighing the positives and the need for some form of control or reforms in the industry. The year 2020 came with its own massive share of challenges to the human race from health to the global economy and pushed the boundaries of our differences in culture, beliefs, and politics as a whole.
Social media is the thick of all these issues we as a species face on a daily basis. Social media can be used to widen our differences pulling us apart or bridge the gap between us depending on the mentality of the person wielding it.
Arguably never has the world seen more polarisation and addiction to the scale that social media is bringing to the fore of our societal issues. Fake news is now the order of the day, hatred for people who have a different view on some topics, and generally, people no longer have the patience to understand opposing views.
Of course, social media has brought so much good to the world as well such as making the world a global village, providing job opportunities, bridging physical distance between people, and so forth. The list of the benefits is endless but yet the disadvantages are arguably endless as well.
Google Suspends Parler
Parler is seen as an unbiased social network that provides freedom of speech to its users and is seen as popular amongst those banned from Twitter.
The app was suspended by Google from its play store for failing to remove posts inciting violence. Apple has also suspended Parler from the Apple store after issuing a series of warnings. In addition, Amazon has also suspended Parler. So, what next for Parler? Ice that, lol.
Parler app’s chief executive John Matze said: “We won’t cave to politically motivated companies and those authoritarians who hate free speech!”
Now like it or not there are people who strongly believe in freedom of speech as a basic human right. The question on everyone else’s lips now is: should free speech incite violence or infringe on the rights of others?
Apple and Google have said the app fails to comply with content-moderation requirements. However, for months Parler has been one of the most popular social media platforms for right-wing users.
Here is an excerpt below from an article from BBC:
In a related development, Google has kicked off Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast of YouTube, citing repeated violations of the platform’s guidelines as the reason.
In Conclusion, the debate on whether social media platforms should be regulated or not will continue to rage on. One thing is certain, social media is here to stay. However its impact on the world whether good or bad is the responsibility of each and every one of us.
That’s all folks
To continue to support us in bringing you more interesting content, kindly subscribe to our newsletter and donate through our Kofi.com account.
