Skip to main content

Parler pivots to ‘uncancelable’ cloud services

Parler pivots to ‘uncancelable’ cloud services

/

The conservative social network has faced stiff competition and a plummeting user base

Share this story

The image shows the red Parler letter P logo with the company name.
Image: The Verge

On Friday, Parler announced that it was entering the internet infrastructure industry in order to provide new “uncancelable” cloud services for online businesses.

In a Friday press release, Parler announced that it was restructuring; the new venture, called Parlement Technologies, will provide new internet infrastructure services for businesses it says are at risk of being forced off the internet. With $16 million in new Series B funding, the company purchased Dynascale, a California-based cloud services company that touts more than $30 million in annual revenue and 50,000 square feet of data center space. 

“We are entering a new era as Parlement Technologies, one that goes far beyond the boundaries of a free speech social media platform,” said Parlement Technologies CEO George Farmer. “We believe that Parlement Technologies will power the future. And the future is uncancelable.”

“We believe that Parlement Technologies will power the future. And the future is uncancelable.”

Parler was founded in 2018 as a censorship-free alternative to more mainstream social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The app surged in popularity during the Trump administration as the former president continuously attacked dominant platforms for allegedly censoring conservative speech. Trump’s war with Silicon Valley tech companies spurred a flood of new conservative-friendly platforms to enter the market, like Gettr, launched by Trump ally Jason Miller, and Trump’s own Truth Social app.

But Parler’s popularity has tumbled in the face of new competitors and growing market saturation. More than 4 million people signed up for the app during the 2020 presidential election, but the company has struggled to maintain those numbers. Apple and Google both removed the app from their app stores following the Capitol riot, and the companies didn’t approve the app for download for months, citing moderation concerns. Still, Sensor Tower app data shows that the app had fewer than 7,000 downloads last month.

Parler did not disclose the terms of the deal, but the acquisition puts the company in competition with other online infrastructure companies like RightForge that claim to provide “cancel proof” services for controversial clients like Trump’s Truth Social platform. 

Other alternative social media companies, like Rumble, have continued to grow over the last few years. On Thursday, Rumble announced that it had secured enough shareholder votes to go public on Monday under the ticker “RUM.” Shortly before the announcement, Rumble started rolling out its own advertising platform, placing ads on other right-wing-favored platforms like Truth Social.