UPDATED 5:42 p.m.: Google has blocked the messaging and social network app Parler from its store.
The company cited the "urgent public safety threat" in restricting the app, touted as a free-speech alternative.
UPDATED 4:17 p.m.: Parler is currently down.
If you've noticed your social media feeds have become a little less fringe over the past few months, that's because many conspiracy-minded posters have flocked to Parler, a right-leaning network that refuses to censor posts under the guise of free speech, resulting in a torrent of death threats and offensive imagery.
Now after this week's violent storming of the US Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, Apple has taken an aggressive stance towards limiting the potentially dangerous hate speech rampant on the app.
RELATED: I tried Parler, the social media app where hate speech thrives
BuzzFeed News obtained an email that Apple sent to Parler executives this morning accusing the company of facilitating the activities that took place at the Capitol. The email reads:
"We have received numerous complaints regarding objectionable content in your Parler service, accusations that the Parler app was used to plan, coordinate, and facilitate the illegal activities in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021 that led (among other things) to loss of life, numerous injuries, and the destruction of property,” Apple wrote to Parler. “The app also appears to continue to be used to plan and facilitate yet further illegal and dangerous activities.”
The message goes on to demand that Parler require a moderation plan within 24 hours or face removal from the App store.
Google has been pressured to follow suit, with the activist group Sleeping Giant posting screenshots from the app which showed continued threats of violence, including ones against Vice President Mike Pence. Google has yet to make a statement in reply.
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