CES tech expo swaps Vegas for virtual event – latest updates

CES tech expo swaps Vegas for virtual event – latest updates

The 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada

Credit:

Robyn Beck/AFP

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Parler, the social media app that has billed itself as a "free speech“ rival to Twitter and Facebook, has gone offline and faces going out of business after it was blocked by tech giants.

The app, which has been a popular front for supporters of Donald Trump as well as far-right activists due to its lax hate speech rules, saw its apps blocked on Apple's iOS and Google's Play Store, while Amazon took the company's back-end servers offline.

On Monday morning, Parler's main website went offline and its chief executive warned "we will likely be down longer than expected“.

The tech giants removed Parler claiming it had failed to crack down on threats of violence following the storming of the US Capitol building last week.

9:25AM

Parler goes offline

Parler, the social network that is popular with supporters of Donald Trump, has gone offline after being removed from Amazon Web Services, Apple and Google's Play Store. 

The social network, which has positioned