Amazon to Judge: Don't Make Us Reinstate Parler

Amazon has asked a federal judge to deny a request to reinstate the cloud-service account for conservative social media network Parler, claiming Parler shrugged off police violence content on its site before and after the insurrection at the US Capitol. Amazon's lawyers made the claim on Tuesday, a day after Parler filed a lawsuit against Amazon claiming a breach of contract and antitrust violation after its account was suspended and effectively removed from the Internet, the Seattle Times reports. The lawsuit claims Amazon colluded with Twitter to "kill Parler’s business—at the very time it is set to skyrocket."

Amazon’s attorneys, Ambika Doran and Alonzo Wickers, said there was no merit to Parler's claims and that the case centered on Parler's "demonstrated unwillingness" to remove content that threatens public safety, the AP reports. Amazon argued that the lack of content moderation led to a "steady increase" in violent content, a violation of its terms of service. Amazon said Parler contracted with the company in 2018 and agreed not to host harmful content. Amazon also notified Parler that it retained the right to suspend accounts immediately if they breach Amazon’s terms of service.