Parler filed a lawsuit against Amazon Web Services Monday, just hours after the social media network was taken offline when Amazon pulled support.
Parler filed the suit against Amazon Monday in the U.S. Western Washington district court. In the lawsuit, Parler alleged Amazon was being hypocritical by not taking similar action against Twitter, where violent posts can also appear.
Big Tech abandoned the social media site, known for allowing unfettered speech on its platform, over the weekend after stating concerns the site was not properly moderating posts that could incite violence. Google and Apple both removed it from its app stores, while Amazon – which was hosting the site in its cloud – also decided to stop working with it, effectively removing it from the Internet.
Many Parler users last week posted plans in the lead up to and following the attack on the U.S. Capitol, expressing support for rioters and their cause. Some posts talked explicitly of committing violence.
“Many of Us will return on January 19, 2021, carrying Our weapons, in support of Our nation’s resolve, to which the world will never forget!!!” one user posted on the same day as the attack on the Capitol.
Parler has prided itself on having a hands-off approach to content moderation that relies on a volunteer jury system where users can vote to have posts removed if they are illegal or break site rules.
The company, which has positioned itself as a Twitter competitor, burst into the public spotlight last year amid conservative backlash against mainstream social media sites, especially as President Trump attacked Facebook and Twitter for what he said was censorship of his posts. Twitter on Friday banned Trump permanently from the site, saying his posts could incite real world violence.
The move enflamed right-wing anger directed at big tech companies. In its lawsuit, Parler said it now has more than 12 million users and had expected to “add millions more this week given its growth the last few days and the growing voice of conservatives encouraging their Twitter followers to switch to Parler.”
The company was launched by an investment from the billionaire Republican megadonor Rebekah Mercer, who with her father has helped bankroll Trump, the far-right site Breitbart News and Cambridge Analytica. Conservative commentator Dan Bongino is also an investor and frequent user of the site.
Parler alleged in the lawsuit that Amazon was conspiring against its business after recently entering a multiyear deal with Twitter.
“It will kill Parler’s business-at the very time it is set to skyrocket,” Parler’s suit reads.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
