The service on Parler, a social media-unfiltered site favored by conservatives, was partially restored on Sunday, a week after the site went offline after Amazon refused to continue hosting the site on its servers.
While the site’s social networking features don’t seem functional, site visitors now receive a message from Parler CEO John Matze.
“Now seems the right time to remind everyone, both lovers and haters, why we started this platform. We believe that privacy is paramount and freedom of speech is essential, especially on social media. our goal has always been to provide a non-partisan public square so people can enjoy and exercise their rights to both, ”the message, dated January 16, says. “We will solve any challenge we pose and plan to welcome you all again soon. We will not let the civil discourse perish!”
According to CNN, the website now appears to be hosted by Epik, a company that also hosts websites like Gab’s messaging service and the right-wing 8chan forum. Both sites have generated and facilitated the spread of white supremacist views and conspiracy theories, such as QAnon.
In recent months, right-wing conservatives have flocked to Parler after claiming that traditional social media sites like Twitter and Facebook had gone too far in censoring users. Parler has been dubbed the “free speech social network.”
However, Parler has also attracted conspiracy theorists and violent actors to the platform. Several reports have detailed how Parler users planned aspects of the Jan. 6 attack on the platform.
BuzzFeed also reports that Parler users celebrated the January 6 riots in the days after Trump supporters violated the Capitol and that some encouraged another rally in Washington the day before Biden took office.
Matze has said he is against Parler’s community guidelines for “inciting or threatening violence or any other activity that violates the law.” Amazon is just the latest company to take steps to remove the platform from the social networking site.
Last weekend, both Apple and Google made the site’s mobile app unavailable for download on their platforms.
In 2019, weeks after a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 people dead, Amazon launched Gab, a social media app favored by far-right conservatives, after an investigation showed the shooter had posted anti-Semitic ramblings on the site.