Parler, a conservative social media platform, has been temporarily shut down following its acquisition by digital media company Starboard.
Starboard, formerly known as Olympic Media, concluded the acquisition of Parler on Friday for an undisclosed amount.
“No reasonable person believes that a Twitter clone just for conservatives is a viable business any more,” Starboard said in a statement on the Parler website.
While the current version of the Parler app will be taken down for a “strategic assessment”, there are “significant” opportunities to support communities that are marginalised or subjected to censorship in various sectors, Starboard said.
Parler, which was used to co-ordinate the January 6 riots on the US Capitol in 2021, was in talks to be acquired by rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, last year.
However, Parler later said that it had mutually agreed with Ye to terminate the agreement in the “interest of both parties”, according to media reports.
“Parler’s large user base and additional strategic assets represent an enormous opportunity for Starboard to continue to build aggressively in our media and publishing business,” said Ryan Coyne, chief executive of Starboard.
“The team at Parler has built an exceptional audience and we look forward to integrating that audience across all of our existing platforms.”
Starboard, which operates in sectors such as advertising and fund-raising, expects the deal to be accretive by the second of quarter of this year.
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
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Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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