First, let's explain what 'Parler' is. It's a social media site owned by conservative commentator Dan Bongino. It bills itself as the "free speech social network". According to Wikipedia the site "has a significant user base of Trump supporters, conservatives, and Saudi nationalists." In the app store, Parler says it's "a non-biased, free speech social media focused on protecting user’s rights," where users can create their "own community and enjoy content and news in in real time."

The app is the top download in the Apple store, and Bongino tells the BBC the platform was adding "thousands of users per minute". The rapid influx of users has caused some technical glitches on the app, with users unable to create accounts, proceed past the captcha, and has been causing the app to load slowly.

The app has become particularly popular with conservatives since the election, "particularly since Facebook and Twitter started flagging untrue posts by President Donald Trump," reports News 10.

The app was launched in 2018, and functions much like Twitter - with users gaining "followers". Posts - called 'parleys' - can be replied to with comments, "echoed" in a way similar to retweeting, and upvoted instead of liked.

Parler says it keeps bans to an "absolute minimum", and does not fact-check posts.



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