Amazon Takes Talk Offline Social Media App After Capitol Attack

SAN FRANCISCO, US – Amazon will suspend Talking, the tech giant confirmed on Saturday, sending the social media network offline after being banned by Apple and Google for authorizing “threats of violence” over a deadly riot at the United States Capitol.

The social network Parler has become a haven for conservatives who say they have been censored by other social media platforms.

Its popularity had skyrocketed in recent months, becoming the # 1 free app in Apple’s App Store on Saturday after the much larger Twitter decided to ban US President Trump from its platform for good. for his role in inciting violence on Capitol Hill.

Messages of support for the rioters on Wednesday as well as calls for new protests had flourished on the platform, leading Google to remove it from its app store on Friday, followed by Apple on Saturday.

Amazon then decided to delete it from its Amazon Web Services cloud hosting, taking it completely offline.

In a letter to Parler first published by Buzzfeed, Amazon said the network was not acting quickly enough against violent content on the platform.

“We have seen a steady increase in this violent content on your website, which violates all of our terms of service,” said the letter, the content of which was confirmed to AFP by Amazon.

In view of the riot on Capitol Hill this week, the letter continued, there was a “serious risk that this type of content would further incite violence.”

It will suspend the account just before midnight Pacific Standard Time Sunday (7:59 a.m. GMT Monday).

As the group hosts Parler’s data on its cloud service, this should prevent it from functioning, at least temporarily.

THREATS OF VIOLENCE

Parler founder John Matz confirmed on his profile that there was a possibility that the network might not be available “for a maximum of a week” because he was looking for a new host.

“We will do our best to switch to a new supplier now,” he said.

Amazon’s decision has a much deeper impact than the decisions of Google and Apple.

They had made it difficult to download the Talk app, but users could still access it if it was already downloaded or if they were using an internet browser.

“We have always supported various views represented on the App Store, but there is no room on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity,” Apple said in a statement Saturday.

“Parler has not taken adequate steps to address the proliferation of these threats to human security. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues.”

Google has removed Parler from its App Store for allowing “blatant content” that could incite deadly violence like the one seen on Capitol Hill.

Angry Trump supporters stormed the building on Wednesday as lawmakers gathered to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the November 3 election, leaving five people – including a police officer – dead.

Other mainstream social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitch have also suspended Trump following the attack on Capitol Hill.

Matze said the platform had “a lot of options” going forward.

Speaking began in 2018 and was originally a hotbed for the far right, but is now attracting more mainstream conservative voices, including Republican lawmakers.