Parler is a social media app that promotes freedom of expression. The policies confirm Parler is a social service, which allows users to share content and participate in conversation among other users. The policy specifies user name, profile photo, the “about me” profile section, and user contacts will always be viewable and searchable by other members. The policy states Parler may make efforts to review or monitor content but that all content is the sole responsibility of the person who originated the content, and Parler does not take responsibility for any user content. In addition, the policy does not indicate if Parler moderates social interactions on the services.

The policy also says Parler collects personal information such as name, email address, phone number, profile photo, date of birth, gender, IP address, and imported contacts from address book. The policy says Parler may share information with vendors and service providers and for marketing purposes with user consent. The policy specifies Parler may share identifiers, commercial information, biometric information, browsing history, geolocation, sensory data, and public education records with third parties. It is not clear if Parler sells data; the policy claims Parler does not sell data, but then later says Parler sells data only in limited circumstances. The policy confirms Parler uses personal information to personalize user experiences by providing tailored content and targeted ads. In addition, the policy states Parler uses cookies, pixel tags, and web beacons to collect information.

Lastly, the policy states Parler makes reasonable efforts to protect personal information but also states they will not be responsible for any damage that results from a security breach or the unauthorized access or use of information. The policy does not indicate if data encryption is used to protect data. The policy says users may post user submissions such as posts (“Parleys”), photos, videos, gifs, and comments. The policy states Parler does not knowingly collect data from children under 16 years old and that users must be 18 years or older to use the service, but the policy also mentions users between the ages of 13 and 15.

Parler can be accessed through its website, and is available for download at the iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use used for this evaluation can be found on Parler’s website, iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. Additionally, other policies used for this evaluation include: Community Guidelines. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.

Safety

The policy states Parler provides account settings to allow users to set sharing preferences or change if certain information is publicly viewable, but does not provide any additional details about safety.

Privacy

The policy says Parler collects device identifiable information about user interactions with the services such as content viewed, searches, followers, and the dates and times of visits. Furthermore, the policy lists other sensitive information that is collected includes race, religion, marital status, sex & gender identify, and biometric and health information. The policy states information may be collected by Google when sharing or interacting with YouTube content on Parler. The policy states personal information is shared with third parties for direct marketing purposes with user consent. The policy also says third party vendors and service providers are used to support Parler, including payment processors. The policy says Parler may transfer data in the event of a merger, acquisition, or bankruptcy but does not indicate if users will be notified. Lastly, the policy states Parler may send marketing communications through email or text and that users may opt-out of such messages.

Security

The policy states Parler may verify user identity using scans of government issued photo identification or selfies. In regards to third parties with access to user data, the policy does not indicate that Parler holds third parties to contractual obligations to protect the data with the same level of security measures.

Compliance

The policy states accounts that are inactive (without login) for 9 months are subject to deletion. Additionally, the policy says data from children under 16 will be deleted by Parler once they are notified of its collection.

• Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
• Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
• Personalised advertising is displayed.
• Unclear whether data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
• User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
• Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.