Kanye West will buy the social network Parler, a platform that many conservatives prefer

() –– Kanye West is acquiring Parler, the alternative social media platform favored by many conservatives.

Parler’s parent company announced the deal Monday morning, noting that West took “groundbreaking action for free speech in the media space and will never again have to fear being removed from social media.”

The purchase announcement comes after Twitter blocked temporarily the account of West, who legally changed his name to Ye, for an anti-Semitic tweet earlier this month.

Although the exact terms of the deal with Parler were not disclosed, the company said a definitive deal with West has yet to be signed and that it expects to close in the fourth quarter. Parler’s parent, Parlement Technologies, would continue to provide technical services and support in the cloud.

With the purchase of Parler, West would enter the select group of celebrities who own a social media platform, after former President Donald Trump’s attempt to win over conservatives with Truth Social and the proposal of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, to acquire Twitter.

“In a world where conservative views are considered controversial, we must ensure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” West said in the Parler statement.

In the weeks following the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, Parler’s app was removed from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The two companies said the platform failed to adequately moderate violent rhetoric in the social network. Parler has since been restored in both app stores, after making changes in their content moderation practices.