Right-leaning social network Parler temporarily shuttered by new owner immediately after acquisition

The digital media conglomerate Starboard said Friday it purchased the conservative social media site Parler and will temporarily take down the app as it undergoes a "strategic assessment."

"No reasonable person believes that a Twitter clone just for conservatives is a viable business any more," Starboard said in a news release Friday announcing the acquisition.

The deal came months after another acquisition agreement with rapper Kanye West, legally known as Ye, collapsed in November.

The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed by either company. Parler said the deal was concluded on April 7.

Parler caters to right-wing, far right and libertarian voices and fashions itself as a platform with fewer rules in support of free speech. It was briefly booted off some platforms in 2021 due to its connections to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and its user base remains small.

Starboard, formerly known as Olympic Media, was founded in 2018 and owns other conservative-leaning news sites. In a news release, Parler called it "the perfect home" for its brand and loyal users.

"The team at Parler has built an exceptional audience and we look forward to integrating that audience across all of our existing platforms." Starboard CEO Ryan Coyne said in a statement.

Parler also said its CEO George Farmer will step down from his role. He will be replaced by Igor Shalkevich, the company's chief development officer.

In:
• Kanye West
• Parler

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.