Starboard acquires controversial social media site Parler and shuts it down

On Friday, digital media conglomerate Starboard announced that it had purchased the conservative social media site Parler for an undisclosed amount. As part of the acquisition, Starboard will temporarily take down the app in order to conduct a “strategic assessment” of the platform.

Parler gained popularity among conservatives and right-wing figures who felt that mainstream social media sites like Twitter and Facebook were censoring their views. However, the platform was widely criticized for its lack of content moderation, which allowed hate speech and misinformation to spread unchecked.

Parler’s new owner seems to recognize the platform’s challenges. “No reasonable person believes that a Twitter clone just for conservatives is a viable business any more”, said Starboard in a statement.

Starboard, which offers digital marketing and ad agency services, has not disclosed the terms of the acquisition. However, the company expects the deal to be accretive by the end of Q2 2023.

The move comes after Parler faced significant setbacks earlier this year. In January, the platform was removed from app stores and web hosting services after it was found to be hosting content related to the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol.

Since then, Parler has struggled to regain its footing. The platform’s CEO, John Matze, was fired in February, and the company has been searching for a buyer ever since.

It remains to be seen what Starboard’s strategic assessment will reveal about Parler’s future.