Kanye West to Acquire Conservative Social Media Platform Parler

The artist formerly known as Kanye West is acquiring Parler, the social media platform billed as a so-called conservative alternative to other sites.

In a press release, Parliament Technologies CEO George Farmer argued that Ye was “making a groundbreaking move” with this deal.

“Parlement will be honored to help him achieve his goals,” Farmer, who is married to Candace Owens, said.

In the same press release, a Ye quote is also included, complete with similarly Fox Newsian wording.

“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” Ye said.

Parler, as the Southern Poverty Law Center pointed out last January, has been criticized as “a haven for far-right extremism of all stripes.” The platform became a much-discussed facet of the larger Capitol riot investigation, with a previously published USA Today analysis showing the extent of Trump’s real-time impact on the platform in the moments leading up to the attack.

This story is being updated.