While the bias against conservatives on social media is nothing new, solutions for it are few and far between. No one wants to lose or abandon a platform full of all their old photos, memories, and contacts that they spent years building and accumulating. While alternatives to major brands like Twitter and Facebook exist, they quite frankly for a lack of a better word usually “suck.”
When the Twitter alternative Parler came along, I created a throwaway account to check it out, realized no one was on it, and never thought to check back. Then all of a sudden it was trending on Twitter and everyone was jumping over because influencers were promoting it (and if I know influencers, that means they’re getting paid.)
I was alerted immediately that people had found an imposter account using my verified Twitter/Instagram handle of @iheartmindy that was mimicking my real account with the banner and profile pics and making disgusting and sexually vulgar comments as if it were me. So I go over to report it as do multitudes of other people…and nothing happened. I actually got into a Twitter beef with Dan Bongino over it because I made a comment on one of his posts where he was talking about how amazing Parler was and I mentioned this issue, which he quickly internalized and got extremely rude over. Apparently he’s part owner of it, and I was unintentionally crapping on his parade.
There was nothing “dramatic” about my explanative statement. You do have to admit though, it is pretty laughable that you have to go to Twitter to fix your problem with Parler.
Ultimately Bongino did nothing to fix it, because whoever’s running it immediately changed it over to a “parody” account and he says that’s protected on his site. Pay attention to the fact that it didn’t matter it was saying sexually vulgar things…that’ll factor in a little bit.
There’s an option to be “verified” on the platform which would help people be less confused with my imposter account and in which you need to do anyway to access basic Twitter-like features like messaging for some reason…
…so I click on the option. The “option” takes me to a link that asks for a copy of the front and back of my state issued driver’s license for which I promptly thought “this app can go fuck itself.”
It begs the question though….why is a social media app that’s garnered toward conservatives requesting such extreme personal information? If you’re thinking “Well at least it’ll guarantee who you’re talking to is real” let me tell you, it doesn’t. An imposter was able to “verify” an account for Katie Hopkins and scam conservatives into donating money for for a fake lawsuit against Twitter.
So Parler is collecting people’s phone numbers and driver’s licenses and it still doesn’t guarantee who you’re talking to is real or verified. The dangers of entering all your personal information in an app that could be hacked/sold/used for Doxxing hardly seems worth it.
Turns out, there’s a LOT more wrong and suspect about Parler than just that.
While Parler touts being the only true uncensored platform for free speech….it’s actually more flippant and stricter than Twitter or Facebook ever was.
FCC rules? So I can’t say or do anything on Parler that I can’t say on daytime TV? Parler is also against anyone posting “rumors” or whatever the hell that could mean considering the inherent vagueness.
So much for free speech.
That’s “obscene?” Kind of weird maybe, but that’s super tame compared to what people post on any given Twitter thread. So clearly Parler has no intentions of actually being the platform for free speech. Wait a minute, if this is obscene and “unacceptable” on Parler than why wasn’t that imposter account of me taken down for talking sexually about my breasts as if they were me? Are they just making up rules and applying them wherever now?
Yes, actually they are. It’s in their own terms of service that they can change the rules and do whatever they want when they want.
But at least it’s an alternative for those already banned on Twitter, right?
No. The terms of service for Parler are some of the strangest and most predatory that I’ve ever seen. If they get sued for something you post, frivolous or not YOU are the one responsible for paying their legal fees.
Even in the communist land of Facebook, I never once heard about someone being responsible for Zuckerberg’s legal fees over something they posted. I bet those kind of lawyers ain’t cheap either. People have been murdered live on Facebook and that never even happened.
By the way, if you even try to question the creator of Parler about these terms of service…he will delete your comments and dismantle your account. So much for transparency.
But wait there’s more, you’re also not allowed to monetize your Parler account, because posting anything that looks like an advertisement or shout out for a product you do not directly own on a post is also against the rules. Don’t ask me why either, because it’s never really explained. Considering this is what makes Instagram so successful, it seems like a strange request that only hurts influencers and discourages them from switching over.
I’m guessing this was done to fight spam, but why not just block legitimate spam?
Parler also wants access to your contact lists from your email. If you do allow them access (presumably to find your friends) they then declare the right to store their contact info and use it for themselves.
While you could just change or refuse this option in settings…it doesn’t prevent your friends from signing up and not knowing better, thus giving Parler access to your own personal information through them by proxy.
Another interesting fact about Parler, is while it’s geared specifically toward conservatives…posts made on Parler do not show up on search engines like Twitter or Facebook does. This has the side effect of silencing conservatives and burying their content on the World Wide Web, which considering the sudden push for Parler right before the November election I find even more suspect.
One more thing, you also can’t delete your Parler account once you sign up. You have to fill out a contact form and email them asking them to delete it. I shit you not.
Truth is that even if you ask Parler to delete your app…they don’t.
After 10 days of constantly demanding Parler to delete their account and after a lot of heat on Twitter for it….Parler finally decided to make it “private” and lock the user out instead.
Why? So they can pad their numbers with old accounts of disenfranchised users to appear more popular and successful than they actually are.
Parler isn’t just a garbage app, it’s a downright data mining scam geared suspiciously toward conservatives in a way that is actually quite disturbing.
If you’ve been kicked off Twitter and think this is better than nothing, you can check out other alternatives that do not come with all this Big Brother red tape like Clouthub. Both Sayscape and Bubblz are also similar in fashion, and both are veteran operated and owned.
Oh, and tell Dan Bongino to stop peddling this communist app just because he’s part owner, and feel free to tell him that Mindy Robinson said to go fuck himself. ??
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