Monday, January 11, 2021

Parler Gets the Boot For Role In Capitol Riot

Parler, a fast-growing social media app with a large base of right-wing users, underwent a sudden reversal on Saturday after Amazon announced that it could no longer use Amazon’s web-hosting service as of Sunday night because of repeated violations of the tech giant’s rules, reports The Wrap.

“Recently, we’ve seen a steady increase in this violent content on your website, all of which violates our terms,” Amazon Web Services’ team wrote an email to Parler obtained by BuzzFeed. “It’s clear that Parler does not have an effective process to comply with the AWS terms of service.”

Both Google and Apple have suspended Parler from their app stores, with Apple accusing the upstart app on Saturday of not taking “adequate measures” to address “threats of violence and illegal activity” that have cropped up in user comments in the wake of Wednesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity,” Apple’s statement reads. “Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people’s safety. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues.”

Parler, which had rocketed to be the No. 1 app on Apple’s App Store earlier on Saturday, must now scramble to find a way to remain online.

On Friday, BuzzFeed News reported that Apple had threatened to permanently ban Parler from the App Store unless it created a “moderation improvement plan” after complaints about “objectionable content” including users’ attempts “to plan, coordinate, and facilitate the illegal activities in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021 that led (among other things) to loss of life, numerous injuries, and the destruction of property.”

Apple’s App Review Board sent a letter to the Parler development team Saturday, which was obtained by TheWrap, saying it had “determined that the measures you describe are inadequate to address the proliferation of dangerous and objectionable content on your app.”

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