Parler Sues Amazon for Suspending App’s Cloud Services

Parler sued Amazon’s cloud-computing business Monday after the tech titan forced the controversial social network to go dark.

The 18-page complaint filed in Seattle federal court claims Amazon Web Services’ decision to stop hosting Parler was a politically motivated scheme to protect Twitter — another Amazon client — from competition, reads a new report from TechCrunch.

“AWS’s decision to effectively terminate Parler’s account is apparently motivated by political animus,” the lawsuit reads. “It is also apparently designed to reduce competition in the microblogging services market to the benefit of Twitter.”

The suit came hours after AWS cut off Parler’s access to its servers because of its failure to police the threats of violence that proliferated on the platform ahead of last week’s pro-President Trump siege on the US Capitol.

“Parler has not only lost current and future customers, but Parler has also been unable to find an alternative web hosting company. In short, AWS false claims have made Parler a pariah,” the lawsuit continues.

The lawsuit also comes a day after Amazon suspended Parler, citing concerns it could not adequately screen out potentially incendiary content, including material that incites violence.

The app saw a massive surge in users between the mob attack at the Capitol and when it was pulled down from Amazon Web Services. Parler saw approximately 825,000 installs from the Apple and Google stores between Wednesday and Sunday, a more than 1,000 percent increase from the same period a week earlier.

Parler told the court that its newfound popularity explained part of the urgency behind its emergency request to have its suspension reversed.

“It will kill Parler’s business — at the very time it is set to skyrocket,” the filing states.

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