Kanye West to Buy Social Media App Parler

Woman holding smartphone with Parler logo in front of displayed same logo in this illustration taken May 17, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Woman holding smartphone with Parler logo in front of displayed same logo in this illustration taken May 17, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
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Kanye West to Buy Social Media App Parler

Woman holding smartphone with Parler logo in front of displayed same logo in this illustration taken May 17, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Woman holding smartphone with Parler logo in front of displayed same logo in this illustration taken May 17, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Parlement Technologies, the parent company of social media app Parler, said on Monday that it will be acquired by rapper Kanye West, who legally changed his name to simply Ye last year.

Parler, a popular app among conservatives, said it expects the deal to close during the fourth quarter of 2022. According to Reuters, it did not give a deal value.

"In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves," Ye said in a statement.

Ye's Instagram and Twitter accounts have been restricted before, most recently this month when social media platforms removed his posts that online users condemned as anti-Semitic.

The American rapper had announced in 2020 that he would run for U. President in an apparent challenge to former US President Donald Trump, but later pulled out.

Last month Parler created a new parent company, Parlement Technologies Inc as part of an overhaul.

West last month ended a partnership with apparel company Gap Inc, saying it failed to meet its obligations under the contract.



China Welcomes Apple's Continued, Deeper Presence

Shen Xinyi (C), a student at Zhejiang University, introduces a "science and technology backyard" to Apple CEO Tim Cook (L) and chief operating officer Jeff Williams (R), at an organic farm in Shunyi District, Beijing, China, 22 October 2024 (issued 24 October 2024).  EPA/XINHUA / Cai Yang
Shen Xinyi (C), a student at Zhejiang University, introduces a "science and technology backyard" to Apple CEO Tim Cook (L) and chief operating officer Jeff Williams (R), at an organic farm in Shunyi District, Beijing, China, 22 October 2024 (issued 24 October 2024). EPA/XINHUA / Cai Yang
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China Welcomes Apple's Continued, Deeper Presence

Shen Xinyi (C), a student at Zhejiang University, introduces a "science and technology backyard" to Apple CEO Tim Cook (L) and chief operating officer Jeff Williams (R), at an organic farm in Shunyi District, Beijing, China, 22 October 2024 (issued 24 October 2024).  EPA/XINHUA / Cai Yang
Shen Xinyi (C), a student at Zhejiang University, introduces a "science and technology backyard" to Apple CEO Tim Cook (L) and chief operating officer Jeff Williams (R), at an organic farm in Shunyi District, Beijing, China, 22 October 2024 (issued 24 October 2024). EPA/XINHUA / Cai Yang

US tech giant Apple Inc is welcome to continue deepening its presence in the Chinese market, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao told its Chief Executive Tim Cook during a meeting on Friday, the ministry said in a statement.
The remark mirrored the exchanges between China's Minister for Industry and Information Technology and Cook during a meeting earlier this week in Beijing.
China is willing to help return Sino-US economic and trade ties to a healthy and stable track of development through regular exchanges between government and enterprises, Wang added.
China will further optimize the business environment and continue to provide quality services for foreign enterprises, Wang said, but also told Cook that the highlighting of national security "is not conducive to normal economic and trade exchanges.”