Parler clocked 23,000 downloads in India before Google, Apple ban

Bengaluru: Parler, a social media platform favoured by many supporters of US President Donald Trump and other conservatives, garnered 23,000 downloads in India before it was taken down by Google and Apple app stores, according to data shared by app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

By comparison, Parler had accumulated 10.8 million downloads worldwide, with 8.7 million from the US alone. India ranked No 18 in the world for Parler downloads.

The social media app has gone offline after Amazon Web Services cut off services for alleged violent content. Indians have not flooded Parler by numbers, but they have done so in spurts.


There was a marked increase in Parler downloads in India since the US elections in November, but that peaked at about 1,000 on 9 January. The average Indian Parler user would qualify as right-leaning and most certainly a follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A careful examination of Indian Parler users suggests a mix of old right-wing Twitter users (early adopters), some journalists—notably Aarti Tikoo Singh and Suresh Chavankhe—and some strategic affairs “experts” like Abhijit Iyer-Mitra.