In a lawsuit filed Tuesday evening, Amazon said it launched right-wing social network Parler from its AWS cloud service after flagging dozens of pieces of violent content starting in November.
Why it matters: Parler sues Amazon, saying the deportation violates antitrust laws. In its response, Amazon cites the violent content and its protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act as one of its defense mechanisms.
DetailsAmazon said it sent a letter for the first time on Nov.17 with two examples of violent content and asked if such content violated Parler’s rules and what the company was doing to moderate such content.
- Over the next 7 weeks, Amazon said it had reported more than 100 pieces of content to Parler’s chief policy officer, including threats specifically targeting members of Congress.
The big pictureParler has run into problems with almost all of its technology partners, including Twilio and Amazon, as well as Apple and Google, both of which have removed the Parler app from their respective app stores.
What they say: In his lawsuit, Parler argued that Amazon conspired with Twitter to give the service a kneecap just as it gained traction.
- Amazon replied that its actions were not about “suppressing speech or stifling views,” nor about “a conspiracy to restrict trade.”
Instead, Amazon said in the filing, “this case is about Parler’s demonstrated reluctance and inability to remove content from Amazon Web Services servers that threatens public safety, such as inciting and planning rape, torture, and murder. specifically named public, civil servants and individuals.