Kanye West is set to become the owner of far-right social media platform Parler.
Executives at Parler's parent company, Parlement Technologies, announced on Monday that they had entered into an agreement in principle to sell the "uncancelable free speech platform" to the Stronger rapper, who was recently locked out of his social media accounts after posting antisemitic comments.
"Ye has become the richest Black man in history through music and apparel and is taking a bold stance against his recent censorship from Big Tech, using his far-reaching talents to further lead the fight to create a truly non-cancelable environment," the press release reads.
In a statement, the 45-year-old, also known as Ye, said, "In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves."
Both parties intend to enter into a definitive purchase agreement and expect to close the deal in the fourth quarter of 2022. As part of the terms, Kanye will receive ongoing technical support and the use of private cloud services from Parlement and he will assure Parler has a future role in "creating an uncancelable ecosystem where all voices are welcome".
"This deal will change the world, and change the way the world thinks about free speech," said Parlement Technologies CEO George Farmer. "Ye is making a groundbreaking move into the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again. Once again, Ye proves that he is one step ahead of the legacy media narrative. Parlement will be honored to help him achieve his goals."
The announcement also featured a link to the rapper's Parler page, which already has 1,700 followers. According to his profile, Kanye joined the app on Monday and has yet to share any posts.
Parler was founded in 2018 and is associated with conservatives, conspiracy theorists, and far-right extremists.
