Billionaire musician Kanye West is buying Parler, the free speech-championing social media app that rose to prominence amid allegations that rival Twitter was suppressing conservative voices.
Parler, which bills itself as “the world’s pioneering uncancelable free speech platform,” announced the purchase agreement in principle in a press release on Oct. 17, the same day that West joined the service.
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, said in a statement.
Kanye West arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2020. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Parler has not disclosed how much West will pay for the platform nor whether the purchase will yield any policy changes, with the deal expected to close by year’s end….