Kanye West agrees to acquire right-wing social media platform Parler

Kanye West has agreed to acquire the right-wing social media platform Parler, according to a statement by Parlement Technologies on Monday. “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 now goes by the name Ye, said in the statement. The deal “will change the world and change the way the world thinks about free speech,” said Parler CEO George Farmer. “Ye is making a groundbreaking move into the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again.” No financial terms were disclosed, although the deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. The news comes after Ye’s Twitter and Instagram accounts were restricted after he made antisemitic remarks. The rapper and clothing entpreneur had returned to Twitter after a roughly two-year hiatus. Parler was founded in Nashville in 2018 and calls itself a “free speech” social network. It has attracted supporters of former President Donald Trump and competes with Trump’s Truth Social platform.

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