Parler revealed that conservative donor Rebekah Mercer was an early investor in the burgeoning social media platform and has helped to finance its fight against Big Tech.
Ms. Mercer and her father Robert Mercer, a former hedge fund manager, previously supported President Trump’s political campaigns and the conservative website Breitbart News, according to The Associated Press.
“The ever-increasing tyranny and hubris of our tech overlords demands that someone lead the fight against data mining, and for the protection of free speech online,” Ms. Mercer said in a statement. “That someone is Parler, a beacon to all who value their liberty, free speech, and personal privacy.”
Parler CEO John Matze said Ms. Mercer has supported the company since 2018 and her early faith enabled the company to reach new heights in the aftermath of the 2020 election. Last week, Mr. Matze said Parler gained 4.5 million users over the course of four days surrounding projections of Democrat Joseph R. Biden as president-elect.
Conservatives and pro-Trump users are joining the platform in droves amid a growing crackdown by Twitter and Facebook on content posted by Mr. Trump and his supporters on their platforms. Twitter took action against 40 posts that Mr. Trump made on its platform in a seven-day span after Election Day.
Facebook, meanwhile, removed the group “Stop the Steal,” which had swelled to 350,000 followers in under 24 hours before its removal, according to its organizers from the pro-Trump nonprofit Women for America First. The group expressed concern about election fraud, but Facebook said it saw “worrying calls for violence from some members of the group.”
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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