Social app Parler is cracking down on hate speech - but only on iPhones

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Source: Washington Post

When social media network Parler came back to life on Apple’s App Store Monday, it was designed to be a less offensive version than what users are able to see elsewhere. Posts that are labeled “hate” by Parler’s new artificial intelligence moderation system won’t be visible on iPhones. There’s a different standard for people who look at Parler on other smartphones or on the Web: They will be able to see posts marked as “hate,” which includes racial slurs, by clicking through to see them.

Parler has resisted placing limits on what appears on its social network, and its leaders have equated blocking hate speech to totalitarian censorship, according to Amy Peikoff, chief policy officer. But Peikoff, who leads Parler’s content moderation, says she recognizes the importance of the Apple relationship to Parler’s future and seeks to find common ground between them. “At Parler we embrace the entire First Amendment meaning freedom of expression and conscience are protected,” Peikoff said. “We permit a maximum amount of legally protected speech.” Apple declined to comment.

Apple, like other major tech companies, took Parler down in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The app had been used to glorify and encourage the attack. Google also booted Parler from its app store. Shortly after, Amazon Web Services cut off Parler’s cloud computing power, essentially shutting it down. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) Last month, Apple confirmed it would let Parler back on its store with the proposed changes to the app’s moderation policies.

Parler’s maneuvering to get back on the App Store — where it was the number one app when it was taken down on Jan. 9 — shows the sway Apple and other major tech companies have over businesses that exist on their platforms. As the sole gatekeeper of what apps can appear on iPhones, Apple is as important an arbiter of online speech as Facebook or Twitter — though it is more often overlooked.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/05/17/parler-apple-app-store/