Parler, the conservative social media alternative platform, has reportedly found a new web host after being dumped by Amazon’s service over the weekend.
After being removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play — the two most widely used smartphone marketplaces — and being removed as a client from Amazon’s web hosting service, Parler has reportedly found refuge with Epik, an internet web hosting company known for partnering with right-leaning sites.
The site, it should be noted, is not yet back on the internet. And in a statement released Monday, Epik indicated it has “had no contact or discussions with Parler in any form regarding our organization becoming their registrar or hosting provider.”
“From our understanding, Parler was working on satisfying the requested terms placed upon them by various elements of their supply chain and, to date, no communication has been received by them for discussion of future service provision,” said Robert Davis, senior vice president of communications for Epik.
In his statement, Davis did offer a defense of Parler:
[W]hen it comes to Parler, it is clear that there is an artificial standard that many now want to apply. The staggering size of Twitter and Facebook alone, have made real change or accountability almost impossible, as the political interests and objectives of their own executives end up creating an undeniable double standard for both policing and enforcement. Over the last year, the effects of this were felt by millions of people, already kept in fear, as our nation was met by unprecedented waves of violence on life and property.
What else?
News of a potential new host for Parler comes right after the right-leaning platform filed a lawsuit against Amazon, claiming Amazon Web Services violated antitrust laws and is in breach of its contract with Parler.
However, in a Reuters interview published Wednesday afternoon, Parler CEO and founder John Matze admitted his nascent app may “never” recover after being ostracized by big tech. He did, though, say he is not yet sure about Parler’s future.
Matze told Reuters he has had conversations with more than one cloud service and is working to determine if there is a viable partnership out there. He previously claimed there were a handful of venders interested in hosting the site, though they ultimately backed out “at the last second.”
The Parler executive said it’s possible the app could build its “own infrastructure” in order to get back onto the internet. Regardless, he believes the attacks against his site are unconstitutional.
“I think it’s sick,” he told Fox News. “That’s not what the Constitution said. That’s not what the Constitution stands for, banning 10-plus million U.S. voters from the internet, barring people from free speech.”