Billionaire musician Kanye West is buying Parler, the free speech-championing social media app that rose to prominence amid allegations that rival Twitter was suppressing conservative voices.
Parler, which bills itself as “the world’s pioneering uncancelable free speech platform,” announced the purchase agreement in principle in a press release on Oct. 17, the same day that West joined the service.
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, said in a statement.
Parler has not disclosed how much West will pay for the platform nor whether the purchase will yield any policy changes, with the deal expected to close by year’s end.
“The proposed acquisition will assure Parler a future role in creating an uncancelable ecosystem where all voices are welcome,” Parler said in a statement.
George Farmer, the CEO of Parlement Technologies, the parent company of Parler, welcomed West’s involvement in the platform.
“This deal will change the world, and change the way the world thinks about free speech,” Farmer said in a statement.
“Ye is making a groundbreaking move into the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again,” he added.
The development comes after West was recently locked out of his Instagram and Twitter accounts after making posts alleged to be anti-Semitic.
Social Media Controversy
On Instagram, West shared a screenshot of a text exchange with fellow musician Sean “Diddy” Combs, in which he told him: “This ain’t a game. Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.”
By Tom Ozimek
