Right-wingers abandon Twitter for Parler and Rumble

Americans flock to new “free speech” app, angry over Facebook, Twitter’s alleged left-leaning bias, restrictions on disinformation.

American right-wingers are gravitating away from Facebook and Twitter, angered by the main social media companies’ alleged left-leaning bias and restrictions on disinformation.

Parler, an app with similar functions to Twitter that calls itself the world’s “premier free speech social network”, rose to the top of Apple’s app store download charts last weekend. On Monday it had eight million members, up from 4.5 million the week before.

Rumble, a video-sharing site, has projected between 75 million and 90 million will watch a video this month, up from 60.5 million last month.

Influential conservative personalities have led the digital migration. Mark Levin, a talk radio host who also has a weekly show on Fox News, told his Twitter followers on Tuesday: “Hurry & follow me at Parler. Join me there as I may not stay at FB/Twitter if they continue censoring me & one day I’ll have left their platforms. Parler is a wonderful alternative & is growing, & we need you there ASAP. It believes in truly open speech”.

Hurry & follow me at Parler. Join me there as I may not stay at FB/Twitter if they continue censoring me & one day I’ll have left their platforms. Parler is a wonderful alternative & is growing, & we need you there ASAP. It believes in truly open speechhttps://t.co/3RnjMoknfj pic.twitter.com/T1I8CknI7E

— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) November 10, 2020

Facebook and Twitter have recently recanted elements of their light-touch approach to regulating content appearing on their platforms, although the changes are generally temporary and critics believe they have not gone far enough. Many of President Trump’s tweets alleging that the election was rigged have had warning labels attached to them.

All of the recent Biden claimed States will be legally challenged by us for Voter Fraud and State Election Fraud. Plenty of proof - just check out the Media. WE WILL WIN! America First!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2020

Parler, part-owned by a conservative media personality Dan Bongino, has few guidelines on what can be posted, and hosts messaging aligned with QAnon, the conspiracy theory that Mr Trump is saving the world from a deep state Satanic paedophile cult.

Donald Trump Jr, the president’s oldest son, Ted Cruz, the Texas senator, and Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, have Parler accounts, as does Sean Hannity, a Fox News host.

“Parler is a breath of fresh air for those weary and wary of the way they’ve been treated by our competitors,” Jeffrey Wernick, its chief operating officer, told The New York Times.

The Times