SAN FRANCISCO, USA – Amazon will suspend Parler, the technology giant confirmed on Saturday, sending the social network offline after it was banned by Apple and Google because it allowed “threats of violence” following a deadly revolt in the US Chapter.
The Parler social network has become a haven for conservatives who say they have been censored by other social platforms.
It has grown in popularity in recent months, becoming on Saturday the free application no. 1 on the Apple App Store, after much larger Twitter decided to permanently ban US President Trump from his platform for his role in inciting violence at the Capitol.
Messages in support of Wednesday’s riots, along with calls for new demonstrations, had blossomed on the platform, leading Google to take it out of its app store on Friday, followed by Apple on Saturday.
Amazon then moved to delete it from its cloud that hosts Amazon web services, pushing it completely offline.
In a letter to Parler first published by Buzzfeed, Amazon said the network was not acting fast enough against the violent content on the platform.
“We have seen a steady increase in this violent content on your website, which violates all our terms of service,” wrote the letter, the content of which was confirmed to AFP by Amazon.
Given the revolt in the Chapter this week, the letter continued, there was “a serious risk that this type of content would continue to incite violence.”
It will suspend the account just before midnight, Pacific Standard Time on Sunday (0759 GMT Monday).
Because the group hosts Parler data on its cloud service, this should prevent it from working, at least temporarily.
THREATS OF VIOLENCE
Parler founder John Matz confirmed in his profile that the network may be unavailable “for up to a week” as it searches for a new host.
“We will do our best to move to a new supplier right now,” he said.
Amazon’s decision has a much greater impact than Google and Apple’s moves.
They had made it more difficult to download the Parler application, but users could still access it if it was already downloaded or using an internet browser.
“We have always supported various views represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity,” Apple said in a statement on Saturday.
“Parler has not taken appropriate action to address the proliferation of these threats to human safety. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until these issues are resolved.”
Google withdrew Parler from its app store because it allowed “huge content” that could incite deadly violence, such as the one seen in the Chapter.
Angry Trump supporters stormed the building on Wednesday as lawmakers gathered to certify the victory of Joe Biden’s Nov. 3 election, leaving five people – including a police officer – dead.
Other major social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitch suspended Trump following the Capitol attack.
Matze said the platform has “many options” to move forward.
Parler started in 2018 and was originally a house for the far right, but now attracts more traditional conservative voices, including Republican lawmakers.
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