Social media site Parler sues Amazon over account suspension
Controversial social media site Parler is suing Amazon over its decision to pull support for the app.
The so-called free speech app, which is popular among right-wing extremists, accused Amazon of violating antitrust laws by suspending its account.
In a complaint filed in Seattle, Parler said Amazon’s decision to stop hosting the app was “apparently motivated by political animus” and “apparently designed to reduce competition in the microblogging services market to the benefit of Twitter”.
Parler is seeking a court order requiring Amazon to reinstate its account and blocking it from suspending services. It is also seeking unspecified triple damages, Reuters reported.
Amazon has been contacted for comment.
Parler, which is popular among supporters of outgoing US President Donald Trump, has been thrust into the limelight since the violent riots at the Capitol last week.
Trump’s accounts on Twitter and Facebook have been blocked over fears he could incite further violence, prompting speculation that he could move to Parler.
Amazon Web Services had hosted the app, but pulled its support over the weekend. It came after Google and Apple both removed Parler from their app stores.
The tech firms said the move to block Parler was due to the app’s failure to comply with content moderation requirements.
But Big Tech’s interventions in the wake of the riots have sparked some accusations of censorship.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel today branded Twitter’s decision to block Trump “problematic”, warning that Silicon Valley executives should not be allowed to make decisions about freedom of opinion.