Parler hosted by Russian company involved with neo-Nazi websites
After being banned by Amazon's hosting service (which led to legal action against the company) and app stores Apple and Google, Parler partially returned on Sunday (17/01), but its return happened through a Russian company involved with neo-Nazi websites.
A social network that calls itself neutral and protective of freedom of expression, Speak began to gain popularity among far-right Americans after platforms like YouTube and Twitter banned content classified as misinformation or fake news. Even the current American president Donald Trump considered creating an account on the platform in secret, with the name 'Person X', after his Twitter ban.
Parler is back, but at what cost?
Parler's home screen after its return this Sunday (17). Source: Reproduction
Upon its return, Parler showed only a static page with a note from its CEO, John Matze, saying the social network was experiencing “technical difficulties.”
According to the social network's IP address, it is owned by the company DDos-Guard, run by two Russians but based in Scotland. In addition to Parler, the Russian company has had neo-Nazi and conspiracy theorist websites as clients.
One of them is 8kun (formerly known as 8chan), one of the best known among the far right and conspiracy theorists like QAnon, who were present at the invasion of the Capitol on 06/01. In fact, the website was one of the platforms used to organize and mobilize people for the invasion, as was Parler itself.
On the other hand, the Russian company claims to have cut ties with the company VanwaTech, which would be the real hosting provider for 8kun. In an interview with The Guardian, one of its founders, Evgeniy Marchenko, stated that he did not provide services directly to 8kun, but rather to VanwaTech. VanwaTech was the one providing hosting services to 8kun, according to the statement.
What is DDoS-Guard?
DDoS-Guard is a Russian digital security and hosting company that specializes in protecting websites against denial-of-service attacks. However, its past involvement with neo-Nazi websites and apparent connection to Parler may indicate other types of services. It is worth mentioning that, to date, it is estimated that there have been involvement of Russian companies in the election of President Donald Trump.
The founders of DDoS-Guard defend themselves against the accusation of their connection to 8kun, using the argument that they provide digital protection services. Otherwise, the current IP address of the social network indicates that they are the providers of the social network, which could indicate a direct relationship between Parler and the Russian company, which has a considerable portion of neo-Nazi users.
The news is not unexpected, considering that Parler's CEO had already mentioned in an interview that he was in talks with several hosting providers. The executive also added that he expects his social network to be operational again by the end of the month.
Through which channels you reach those people, classic and out of the box. Business Insider
Image: BackyardProduction (iStock)
