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.



Apple iPhone 16 Sales Blocked in Indonesia Due to Local Parts Rule

The iPhone 16 Pro is seen at an event at the Steve Jobs Theater on its campus in Cupertino, California, US, September 9, 2024. (Reuters)
The iPhone 16 Pro is seen at an event at the Steve Jobs Theater on its campus in Cupertino, California, US, September 9, 2024. (Reuters)
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Apple iPhone 16 Sales Blocked in Indonesia Due to Local Parts Rule

The iPhone 16 Pro is seen at an event at the Steve Jobs Theater on its campus in Cupertino, California, US, September 9, 2024. (Reuters)
The iPhone 16 Pro is seen at an event at the Steve Jobs Theater on its campus in Cupertino, California, US, September 9, 2024. (Reuters)

Tech giant Apple Inc will not be allowed to sell its iPhone 16 smartphones in Indonesia because they have not met the country's rules on the use of locally made components, the industry ministry said.
Indonesia requires certain smartphones sold domestically to contain at least 40% of parts manufactured locally and the iPhone 16 has not met the requirement, ministry spokesperson Febri Hendri Antoni Arief said in a statement issued on Friday.
"Imported iPhone 16 hardwares cannot be marketed in the country, because Apple Indonesia has not fulfilled its investment commitment to earn a local content certification," he said, adding that the phones can still be brought from abroad for personal use as long as users pay the necessary taxes.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters said.
The company's iPhone 16 phones were first released in September.
The top two smartphone makers in the first quarter of 2024 in Indonesia were Chinese firm OPPO and South Korean firm Samsung, research firm IDC said in May.
Indonesia has a huge, tech-savvy population, making the Southeast Asian nation a key target market for tech-related investment.
During a visit by Apple's CEO Tim Cook to Indonesia last April, Indonesia's Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said he hoped the tech giant would increase its local content by partnering with domestic firms.
Companies usually increase the domestic requirement through such local partnerships or by sourcing parts domestically.
Apple has no manufacturing facilities in Indonesia, but since 2018 it has been setting up app developer academies, which including the new academy have a total cost of 1.6 trillion rupiah ($101.8 million).