Parler is (kinda) back thanks to a Russian tech company

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Parler has resurfaced thanks to a Russian tech company and now CEO John Matze is saying it could be up and running again by the end of January.

The new operational date comes Matze during a phone interview with Fox News. This is a big pivot from last week, when Matze said it was possible that the platform would never come back.

If you go to Parler.com now, you’ll be greeted with a “Technical Difficulties” screen with some text that says a lot but doesn’t actually mean anything.

You can find it below:

Ahh, yes, the privacy! Wait, no, maybe don’t lead with that? A nonpartisan public square! No, no, no, that’s no good either.

Civil discourse! Ahh, yes, love that good civil discourse about…. killing liberals…

There’s also a sweet, sweet irony in Parler turning to Russian businesses to bring back the US-centric, conservative website. What about THE JOBS, guys? WHAT ABOUT THEM?

Oh, let’s talk about that Russian tech company real quick. DDoS-Guard is no stranger to controversy, as it also hosts super right-wing, sometimes extremist content including 8kun (favorite of QAnon supporters) and the neo-nazi site Daily Stormer.

Even so, one of the founders of DDoS-Guard told The Guardian recently that they “are not related to any politic issues and don’t want to be associated in any sense with customer hosting such toxic sites like QAnon/8chan.”

So, anyway, yeah, Parler may be coming back, but time will tell. If Matze’s tentative date is anything to go by, it may be back sooner than later, but I wouldn’t expect it to return to the app stores anytime soon.

UPDATE 2/16/2021 10:36 AM ET: Parler is back online. It seems the website is back, as going to Parler.com leads you to a sign-in screen. Accounts have been restored, but past posts are no longer available.

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