Parler CEO: We are owed an apology
As reported in Reuters, “The FBI has found scant evidence that the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an organized plot to overturn the presidential election result, according to four current and former law enforcement officials.” In other words, there is no evidence justifying the rush to judgment and accusations by many—including, notably, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg—that the events of January 6 were the result of deliberate coordination conducted on up-and-coming social media platforms Parler and Gab.
Recall that Sandberg said, back in January, “I think these events were largely organized on platforms that don’t have our abilities to stop hate, don’t have our standards and don’t have our transparency.”
Parler CEO George Farmer, upon hearing the news, said, “As we told Congress earlier this year, while we did not see any evidence of coordination on Parler, we did see, in the weeks leading up to January 6, an increase in the amount of violent and inciting content. We appropriately removed accounts for violating our terms of service and forwarded examples to the FBI. These latest findings are just more proof that Parler and Gab were unjustly scapegoated and that Parler’s sudden removal from the Internet was unwarranted.
“We are owed an apology from everyone who rushed to judgment about Parler—but especially from our competitors and service providers who should have known better. From some, perhaps, financial restitution might be in order.”
You can follow George Farmer on Parler
I would like to see two lawsuits.
One for Parler directly with not just actual losses, but punitive damages - VERY heavy punitive damages. The threats posed to the 1st amendment merit that a message be sent of nuclear proportions.
The other a class-action lawsuit for the millions of users that were heavily inconvenienced by having to delete old apps, load new ones, and unjustly be deprived of Parler's services for months. $1000 for each affected Parler user would be reasonable because it is again not just actual, but punitive losses. I can think of few things more satisfying than a bankrupt Twitter, a bankrupt Facebook, and a healthy percentage of Jeff Bezos' billions sent to a platform that actually protects free speech.
And, the sky screaming by the Left would alone be worth millions in entertainment value.
Please, George - do not "settle" for anything other than full restitution - not just a retraction or apology. Millions of dollars were expended rebuilding the platform and AWS should likewise be held responsible for the damages caused. Free speech is under enormous assault and I am incredibly tired of the "but they are private companies - they can do what they want" narrative. AT&T is likewise a private company, but there are regulations that govern what they can do. The last time I checked, they could not monitor my phone calls and deny me service simply because I hold a different political opinion from theirs. Nor can they claim that "disagreement" or "presentation of opposing viewpoints" is hateful or dangerous. Generation Snowflake and all of their enablers must be stopped. I will not be satisfied until they are sky screaming and sucking on pacifiers once again.