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Amazon seeks to keep right-wing app Parler offline

Parler social media users double in week after election
Posted at 4:28 PM, Jan 13, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-13 17:28:08-05

Seattle-based Amazon.com, Inc. has asked a federal judge to deny a request to reinstate the cloud-service account for conservative social media network Parler. The company's lawyers on Tuesday claimed Parler shrugged off police violence content on its site before and after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The Seattle Times reported that Parler filed a lawsuit Monday against Amazon claiming a breach of contract and antitrust violation after its account was suspended. Attorneys for Amazon said the case was not about suppressing speech but about what they called Parler’s “demonstrated unwillingness” to remove content that threatens public safety.

Parler claims Amazon colluded with Twitter to “kill Parler’s business."

In an interview with Reuters, Parler CEO John Matze said that the platform may never be able to return.

“It could be never,” he said. “We don’t know yet.”

“It’s hard to keep track of how many people are telling us that we can no longer do business with them,” Matze added.