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By Tim Higgins 

Apple Inc. has suspended Parler from the App Store amid concerns the app's owner hasn't done enough to address threats of violence on the platform.

"We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity," Apple said in a statement Saturday. "Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people's safety."

Apple's move comes a day after Alphabet Inc.'s Google suspended Parler from its Play Store app marketplace, citing violations of requirements for sufficient moderation of content for apps it distributes.

Interest in Parler has risen since the November U.S. elections as larger social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have become more aggressive in policing posts. On Friday, Twitter Inc. permanently suspended President Trump's personal account, sparking criticism from conservatives online who felt the effort was biased against them.

Parler had positioned itself as an alternative to larger platforms. Its rules don't prohibit hate speech and false information while banning spam, threats of violence and other illegal activity. Chief Executive John Matze had said he believed the company's rules met Apple's policies against content that incites violence.

Prior to Saturday, the iPhone maker had given Parler 24 hours to submit a plan to improve the app, which it said wasn't effectively moderating and removing content that encouraged illegal activity and posed a risk to user safety.

Apple told the company it found its response insufficient, according to the latest app notice, saying that Parler had to demonstrate the "ability to effectively moderate and filter the dangerous and harmful content" on the service.

Write to Tim Higgins at Tim.Higgins@WSJ.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 09, 2021 21:05 ET (02:05 GMT)

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