TEXAS – Many Republicans are pushing back against what they call censorship by big tech on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. That’s leading some to turn to a new social media platform called Parler.

It works just like other social media sites. You can share pictures, videos, and links, but there's minimal moderation and no fact checking.

Parler saw a huge spike in downloads following the election. Users were drawn to the site by big names in conservative politics and the promise of no censorship.

Many Republicans have felt marginalized by sites like Facebook and Twitter.

"You know, I'll be sending out tweets and Twitter will shadow ban me and no one will see my tweets but I'll have no idea, I'll just feel that something is different. Even Facebook, who's tried to have a hands-off approach, still their platform is censoring conservatives across the board," said Josh Canter, a GOP digital consultant.

Social media giants know they're walking a tightrope when it comes to moderating what's shared on their platforms and have even kicked people off their sites for various violations. Now many of those groups have found a new home on Parler.

“The Proud Boys are very evident on Parler, starting to talk about anti-government ideologies, conspiracy theories, there’s quite a bit of Holocaust revisionism,” said Jessica Reaves, editorial director at the Center on Extremism at the Anti-Defamation League.

What concerns groups like the Anti-Defamation League is the echo chamber that can be created and the co-mingling of mainstream conservatives and extremist groups.

"Parler represents a really interesting opportunity for extremists, in a way. This is an opportunity for them to speak to and potentially reach out to and recruit right leaning people who are not themselves extremists but who may be for whatever reason open to some of the introductory ideas of some of these extremist groups," said Reaves.

But Parler’s post-election buzz might be over. Data gathered by Apptopia, a company that tracks mobile apps, shows downloads of Parler are now back to levels seen prior to the election.

And while Parler isn’t seeing a spike in new downloads anymore, many conservatives still believe the site will be around for a while, serving as a Republican home base, especially as we enter a Biden presidency.