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Parler, a social media website and app popular with members of the American far right, partially returned to the web with the help of a Russian-owned technology company.
Parler disappeared from the internet when the hosting division of Amazon Inc. and other partners vetoed him for poor moderation after his users urged violence and posted videos glorifying the Jan.6 attack on the United States Capitol.
Parler’s website was back online Monday, albeit only with a message from its CEO saying the company was working to restore its functionality.
The internet protocol address he used is owned by DDos-Guard, controlled by two Russian nationals and which provides services that include protection against distributed denial of service attacks, infrastructure expert Ronald Guilmette told Reuters.
If the website is fully restored, Parler users will be able to view and post comments. Most users prefer the application, however, which is still banned from the official Apple and Google stores.
Parler CEO John Matze and representatives from DDoS-Guard did not respond to requests for comment.
Last week, Matze told Reuters that the company was in talks with multiple service providers, but declined to elaborate.
DDoS-Guard has worked with other racist, right-wing and conspiracy sites that have been used by mass murderers to share messages, including 8kun. It has also supported Russian government sites.
Critics of Parler commented that it was a potential security risk to rely on a Russian company, as well as an odd choice for a site popular with self-described patriots in the United States.