Kanye West wants to take over the right-wing Parler network
Stand: 19.10.2022
Kanye West wants to buy the Parler Network online
US rapper Kanye West has long been producing mostly negative headlines with anti-Semitic and racist slogans. Now he wants to buy his social media channel. Parler is considered an imitation of Twitter, on which even right-wing extremists vent.
He has a great need to broadcast: US rapper Kanye West wants to take over the online network Parler. The platform is very popular with Trump fans as an alternative to Twitter. West also sees his intention to buy as a sign of freedom of expression.
uRapper S Kanye West wants the right online network Speak to buy. “In a world where conservative views are considered controversial, we need to make sure we have the right to express ourselves freely,” the company behind Parler said Monday, citing the musician in a statement. Parler had established himself in recent years, particularly among supporters of former US President Donald Trump.
Parler did not initially provide any information on the financial scope of the planned acquisition. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Parler CEO George Farmer said the acquisition by Kanye West, who has renamed himself Ye, “will change the way the world thinks about free speech.” Furthermore, the rapper will never again have to fear being removed from online platforms.
Founded in 2018, Parler gained tremendous popularity after Trump was banned from Twitter and other platforms following the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The network says it aspires to “strengthen the future of free speech” and lead the “fight” against “big technology, abusive government, censorship and the annihilation of culture”.
Kanye West was recently restricted in his use of well-known online networks due to posts classified as anti-Semitic. Additionally, the rapper and fashion entrepreneur, who is one of the few entertainment industry greats to openly support Trump, has caused a stir with controversial actions.
The 45-year-old appeared at Paris Fashion Week in early October wearing a T-shirt that read “White Lives Matter”. The slogan “Black Lives Matter” had become famous during demonstrations against racism and police violence against blacks in the United States. “White Lives Matter” was a response from right-wing extremists and racists to these demonstrations.
Conservative and right-wing politicians and populist actors repeatedly accuse large online platforms such as Twitter and Facebook of censorship. The question of how platforms handle content that violates their rules, such as the dissemination of false information and hate messages, repeatedly provokes controversial discussions.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has accused Twitter of restricting freedom of expression. He announced that after the planned purchase of the short messaging service, he wants to reduce content moderation and allow Trump to return to Twitter. Musk announced in April that he wanted to buy Twitter, but backed off in July. At the beginning of October, the head of the electric car company Tesla then said he wanted to buy Twitter.
