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Parler, based in 2018 by Mercer, John Matze and Jared Thomson, payments itself as “unbiased social media” and a place the place individuals can “speak freely and express yourself openly without fear of being ‘deplatformed’ for your views,” in accordance with its web site and App Store description. It appears to be like like a mashup of Twitter and Instagram, with its foremost feed, follower counts and methods to share posts and hyperlinks.
The platform turned the most-downloaded free app in the Apple App Store on the weekend of November 8 — the day main media shops known as the election for Joe Biden.
Parler principally attracts conservative customers. Some of Parler’s most-active customers embrace Fox News host Sean Hannity, radio character Mark Levin, far-right activist Laura Loomer, Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Devin Nunes. Eric Trump and Donald Trump’s presidential marketing campaign even have accounts on the platform.
A considerable quantity of customers have adopted these voices onto the platform, fueled by complaints over actions main social media platforms have taken in opposition to election misinformation and false allegations of voter fraud, resembling disputing claims with fact-check labels.
Who is Rebekah Mercer?
For years, the Mercers have been key benefactors of conservative teams, starting from the Heritage Foundation assume tank, the place Rebekah Mercer serves on the board of trustees, to organizations which have produced anti-Hillary-Clinton books and films.
But the household emerged in nationwide politics in the 2016 election cycle when Robert Mercer, who helped oversee Renaissance Technologies hedge fund, and his spouse Diane, donated greater than $23 million to teams that backed conservative candidates, in accordance with a tally by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.
In that election, the Mercers financed a tremendous PAC that originally backed Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination earlier than throwing its assist behind Trump.
The media-shy Rebekah Mercer is extensively reported to have persuaded then-candidate Trump to reshuffle his marketing campaign group and rent Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway to assist run his presidential bid in the closing stretch of the 2016 election. Rebekah Mercer went on to serve on the govt committee of Trump’s transition group,
Rebekah Mercer didn’t reply to a request for remark. Robert Mercer stepped apart from Renaissance in 2017.
— CNN’s Fredreka Schouten and Kaya Yurieff contributed to this report
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