Parler was abandoned by major technology companies after being used by members to incite violence in the United States. It is now based on a hosting service owned by two Russians.
Parler, the popular social network among far-right and conspiracy theorists, has re-emerged with the help of a Russian-owned web security service as the website seeks a way to circumvent the bans that took it offline in the beginning. this month.
“Our return is inevitable because of hard work and persistence against any risk,” executive director John Matze wrote in a new post, most recently since Amazon Web Services stopped hosting and was banned from Apple Inc. and Google app stores. “Despite threats and harassment, no Parler employee resigned. We become closer and stronger as a team. ”
Parler, who was dropped by major technology companies after being used by members to incite violence in the U.S. Chapter, is now based on a hosting service from DDoS-Guard Corp., which is owned by two Russians, Evgenii Marchenko and Aleksei Likhachev, according to documents submitted to Companies House, a UK agency that records company information and makes it available to the public. The DDoS-Guard site lists a location in Edinburgh for its headquarters.
Public data associated with the Parler.com domain name indicates that one of the Internet servers to which visitors are directed is routed through DDoS-Guard. Another server, specifically for Parler.com email routing, but not site content, is an Outlook.com address operated by Microsoft Corp.
A DDoS-Guard spokeswoman said the company does not host Parler and declined to comment on what services it provides to the social networking app. He confirmed that he stored customer data as part of his offer.
On Sunday, Apple CEO Tim Cook defended Apple’s decision to remove the Parler app, despite complaints from critics that the move affects freedom of expression.
“We looked at the incitement to violence that was there,” Cook told Fox News Sunday. “We do not consider that freedom of expression and incitement to violence have an intersection.”
Parler’s domain name is now registered with Epik Inc., a website services company based in Sammamish, Washington, according to public records provided by Internet regulator Icann. Epik is also the domain registrar for Gab, another less restrictive social networking site, popular in the far right.
Most of the positions on Parler.com seemed to remain in operation early Tuesday, in addition to the statements of Matze and other employees. Members cannot log in or post messages, and the app is still unavailable in Apple Inc. stores. or Google Play.
“While we did not expect Parler to move its domain name to Epik on January 11, we are very grateful for this opportunity,” Epik spokesman Robert Davis said in an email. “He gave some extraordinary discussions about how Parler can be an inspiring part of the progress and evolution of future social networks.”
Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prior to its ban, Parler – which has less restrictive terms dictating what members can post and has been approved by some Republican lawmakers and media figures – saw an increase in users as Twitter and Facebook drove out outgoing President Donald Trump, along with users and groups who supported the violence.