Kanye West is buying the Parler social media app

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Parliament Technologies, the parent company of social media app Parler, said on Monday it would be acquired by rapper Kanye West, who legally changed his name to simply Ye last year.

Parler, a popular app among conservatives, said it expects the deal to close in the fourth quarter of 2022. It didn’t put a value on the deal.

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« In a world where conservative views are considered controversial, we must ensure that we have the right to express ourselves freely, » Ye said in a statement.

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Ye’s Instagram and Twitter accounts have been restricted before, most recently this month when social media platforms deleted his posts that online users condemned as anti-Semitic.

The American rapper announced in 2020 that he would run for President of the United States in an apparent challenge to former US President Donald Trump, but later pulled out.

Last month, Parler created a new parent company, Parliament Technologies Inc, as part of a revamp.

Last month, West ended a partnership with clothing company Gap Inc, saying it failed to meet its obligations under the contract. (Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D’Souza)