2021 thus far has not been a good year for free speech.
Conservatives have been censored, silenced, and removed from social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
Meanwhile, many relocated to Parler, where free speech was welcomed.
Recently, the Parler mobile app was removed by Apple and Google’s app stores, which led the social media platform into going offline on January 10, 2021.
Accusations were leveled against Parler for being used to coordinate the storming of the U.S. Capital building on January 6, 2021.
Meanwhile, radical leftist groups have been allowed to maintain their social media presence on Twitter, even those who partook in the Capital riot.
Some good news may be on the horizon.
Parler CEO John Matze has maintained that he will fight for the platform to be re-instated, and in a recent interview, said he is confident Parler will be back up by the end of January.
Fox News has more on this developing story:
Parler chief executive officer John Matze is "confident" that his social media platform will be back online in the near future after his team was able to launch a static website and recover the company’s data over the weekend in a series of positive developments.
"I’m confident that by the end of the month, we’ll be back up," Matze told Fox News during a telephone interview on Sunday night.
Parler registered its domain with host sharing website Epik last week, following Amazon Web Services' decision to shut Parler down for failure to moderate "egregious content" related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The move was a tiny-yet-important step that helped Matze realize his aggressive timeframe for Parler’s eventual return is realistic.
"Every day it changes wildly, but I feel confident now," Matze said. "We’re making significant progress. When you go into Parler.com it doesn’t go into the void now, it hits a server, and it returns just one piece of information"
Parler had been down since Amazon Web Services cut it off, but now fan of the popular social media platform are at least able to hear from Matze himself.
"Hey is this thing on?" Matze wrote in the first update when the static page was laucnhed. "Now seems like the right time to remind you all — both lovers and haters — why we started this platform. We believe privacy is paramount and free speech essential, especially on social media. Our aim has always been to provide a nonpartisan public square where individuals can enjoy and exercise their rights to both. We will resolve any challenge before us and plan to welcome all of you back soon. We will not let civil discourse perish!"
Matze called being able to post the message a "big milestone" despite appearing to be a simple static website, as the ability to inform the public firsthand is vital to a company that is under constant attack from its critics.
"We’re going to be putting periodic updates there," Matze said "We’re going to try to get an update out every day… so that people can stay up to date with the site."
Ther hypocrisy of Parler's ban is not lost on Americans, regardless of political affiliation.
Things have not been easy for Matze, as he and his family were recently forced into hiding because of death threats leveled against him (probably from people who are still allowed to have a platform on Twitter).
Here's the Washington Examiner with more:
Parler CEO John Matze has been forced into hiding with his family after receiving death threats.
"Matze himself, as the CEO of the company Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to vilify, has had to leave his home and go into hiding with his family after receiving death threats and invasive personal security breaches," a newly released court filing from Parler’s legal team reads.
The filing comes after Parler, a social media app popular with conservatives, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon once the tech giant barred it from its platform in the wake of last week’s Capitol Hill riot.
Amazon dismissed the allegation of wrongdoing, claiming that the lawsuit has “no legal basis.” Amazon also claimed that its employees have been facing threats and harassment.
Parler’s filing acknowledges those claims but says that Parler employees are the ones suffering the harassment.
John Matze spoke with Fox News host Tucker Carlson immediately following the platform's removal, where he said they were fighting for survival following the mass Big Texch ban.
Matze also discussed the threats against his own life.
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