Pro-Conservative News Outlet Owner Starboard Acquires Parler, Plans Revamp After Temporary Shutdown

Starboard, the owner of pro-conservative news outlets, has acquired Parler from Parlement Technologies and shut it down temporarily. The social network, which launched in 2018 as an alternative to Twitter, had few rules or moderation controls and drew flak in January 2021 after people involved in the Capitol attack used the platform to coordinate.

Apple and Google removed Parler from their respective app stores until it improved moderation and kept out users inciting violence. Starboard plans to conduct a "strategic assessment" of the platform during the downtime and hopes to integrate Parler's audience into its existing channels.

The buyer believes a Parler revamp is necessary as a "Twitter clone just for conservatives" is not a viable business. Kanye West had previously offered to buy Parler from Parlement in late 2022 but called off the deal in mid-November due to his "business difficulties."

Parlement is now pivoting to cloud services for businesses that believe they could be knocked offline for their content.