Parlement Technologies struck an agreement in principle with US rapper Ye regarding the sale of its social media platform Parler, a move pitched as further promoting its stance on free speech.

The musician was recently briefly banned from mainstream rival Twitter over offensive posts, which reportedly prompted his interest in acquiring Parler, a site which promotes itself as a guardian of free speech.

Any deal would involve Parlement Technologies maintaining its technical backing for Parler, comprising access to cloud services and other data infrastructure, among others.

In a statement, Parlement Technologies branded Ye a “compatriot” in its mission, with the proposed acquisition helping to ensure Parler has “a future role” in delivering a service “where all voices are welcome”.

The site has stoked controversy, with many of its 16 million users being right-leaning. It was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores in 2021 after being connected with social unrest following a US presidential election, though was subsequently reinstated.

“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves”, Ye stated.

The deal is expected to close this quarter.