Google said its app store has long required apps that display user-generated content to have moderation policies in place to prevent the spread of violent rhetoric.
“We are aware of the continued posting on the Parler app that seeks to incite continued violence in the United States,” a Google spokesman said. “We recognize that there may be a reasonable debate about content policies and that it may be difficult for apps to immediately remove all infringing content, but to distribute an app through Google Play, we need apps to implement sound moderation for “In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat, we will suspend app files from the Play Store until you resolve these issues.”
The decision is a major blow to supporters of President Donald Trump, many of whom have found a home on the Parler platform. But it doesn’t completely deny them access to the app. Because Android allows third-party app stores, Parler can still be hosted in app stores that Google doesn’t manage.
Parler is among a group of relatively new platforms that have come forward as alternatives to free speech in hopes of courting conservatives who believe larger platforms censor their views.
The Google Play suspension came on the same evening that Twitter banned President Trump’s @realDonaldTrump account from his social network. The move effectively removes Trump from his favorite social network, which he had used throughout his presidency to obviate traditional media and direct his message to tens of millions of followers.
CNN Business’s Kaya Yurieff and Sara O’Brien contributed to this story.