Google said its app store has long required that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies to prevent the spread of violent rhetoric.
“We are aware that there will continue to be messages in the Parler app inciting continued violence in the US,” said a Google spokesperson. “We recognize that there can be fair debate over content policy and that it can be difficult for apps to immediately remove all violent content, but if we want to distribute an app through Google Play, we do require apps to implement robust moderation for blatant content In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat, we are suspending the app’s listings from the Play Store until these issues are resolved. ”
The decision is a major blow to the supporters of President Donald Trump, many of whom have found homes on the Parler platform. But it doesn’t completely deny them access to the app. Since Android allows third-party app stores, Parler can still be hosted in app stores that are not operated by Google.
Parler belongs to a group of relatively new platforms that have billed themselves as alternatives to free speech in hopes of wooing conservatives who believe that larger platforms are censoring their views.
The Google Play suspension came on the same night Twitter banned President Trump’s @ realDonaldTrump account from its social network. The move effectively strips Trump of his favorite social network, which he had used during his presidency to bypass traditional media and send his message to his tens of millions of followers.
Kaya Yurieff and Sara O’Brien from CNN Business contributed to this story.