Parler is under fire, but not from critics of its lax moderation policy. The site is facing backlash from its own userbase after it admitted to referring violent posts to the FBI.
Parler’s “Free Speech” Policy Excludes Violent Content
As the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter, and Google testified before Congress, Parler wanted to make one thing clear: Parler was unfairly de-platformed by the members of Big Tech.
At the time of the Capitol riots, many argued that Parler’s free speech values bred violence on the platform. This resulted in Parler getting dropped from Amazon Web Services, and being kicked out of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Parler said that it has, in fact, been following the rules all along. In a report by The Wall Street Journal, Parler reveals that it “referred a number of posts to law enforcement” leading up to the Capitol riots. This even includes a post that sought to gather an “armed force” of 150,000 people.
“These referrals represent only a fraction of the dozens of posts with violent rhetoric that Parler collected and forwarded to the FBI for investigation,” the report reads.
Because Parler defines itself as a “free speech platform,” some members of its politically-conservative userbase were shocked that Parler took to reporting violent content to the FBI. In an attempt to stave off criticism from angry users, the site made a post on its Parler profile to explain what the First Amendment really means:
The First Amendment does not protect violence inciting speech, nor the planning of violent acts. Such content violates Parler’s TOS. Any violent content shared with law enforcement was posted publicly and brought to our attention primarily via user reporting. And, as it is posted publicly, it can properly be referred to law enforcement by anyone. Parler remains steadfast in protecting your right to free speech.
While some of its users were supportive of this move, others declared that it is still a form of censorship. Parler continues to stand by its free speech policy, just as long as it doesn’t contain violence.
Parler’s Confession Backfires
Parler should’ve expected a negative reaction after this announcement. After all, the platform saw a mass exodus of conservative users after mainstream social networks limited the visibility of former President Donald Trump’s posts, and then subsequently banned him.
It seems that some members of Parler’s community are under the impression that anything goes on Parler, but that’s just not the case. Just because Parler supports free speech, doesn’t mean that the site actively encourages violent content.