Accusing Amazon of monopolistic practices to benefit Twitter, breach of contract and defamation, Parler is asking a federal judge for help after the social media app was taken offline in what its CEO called a ‘coordinated attack.’
In an 18-page complaint filed Monday in the US District Court in Seattle, Washington, Parler alleges that politically-motivated double standards led to Amazon Web Services (AWS) shutting down its hosting.
“AWS’s decision to effectively terminate Parler’s account is apparently motivated by political animus” and “apparently designed to reduce competition in the microblogging services market to the benefit of Twitter,” the lawsuit says.
Claiming that Parler wasn’t moderating calls for violence on their platform during and following the January 6 unrest at the US Capitol, Apple and Google have blocked its mobile app from their platforms, while AWS denied it services as of Sunday evening, forcing the platform offline.
Parler says these justifications are a pretext, since no such action was taken against Twitter or Facebook. By “pulling the plug on Parler but leaving Twitter alone despite identical conduct by users on both sites, AWS reveals that its expressed reasons for suspending Parler’s account are but pretext,” says the lawsuit.
Silicon Valley defenders: If you don’t like Big Tech’s censorship, just start your own social media platform with rules you want.Parler: OK, we did. We’re the country’s most popular app!Amazon/Apple/Google: We’re uniting to take you off the internet with our monopoly power. pic.twitter.com/LCaQIvovF0
Moreover, the filing adds, “false claims” by AWS have pressured other hosting companies to refuse service to Parler, making it a “pariah” and unable to function. This also silenced millions of users “who do not feel their free speech is protected by Twitter or other social media apps,” the company’s attorneys added.
Parler’s contract with AWS requires a 30-day notice, the lawsuit says, alleging breach of said contract. The company is seeking a restraining order and an emergency injunction against AWS, saying that cutting off Parler’s access is “the equivalent of pulling the plug on a hospital patient on life support” and would effectively kill off their business.
Social media companies and many corporations launched a purge of President Donald Trump and his supporters after the Capitol unrest, claiming he incited an “insurrection” and violence there.
A portion of Trump supporters who gathered in Washington, DC to protest the certification of presidential election results breached the Capitol building and interrupted the joint session of Congress, and dispersed after a few hours. Five people died during the unrest, including a Capitol Police officer.
As Twitter banned Trump and thousands of his supporters, Parler saw record growth in the number of new accounts on its platform. CEO John Matze called the reaction by Apple, Google and Amazon a “coordinated attack by the tech giants to kill competition in the marketplace.”
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