Parler fails with lawsuit against Amazon

Icon: enlarge

Parler: The service is not running, only the website is available

Photo: OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP

The Twitter alternative Parler, which is popular with Trump supporters, will remain offline for the time being.

Parler failed in an attempt to return to Amazon's cloud infrastructure by court order.

Parler did not meet the requirements for an injunction, ruled a judge in Washington state on Thursday.

Amazon's cloud subsidiary AWS was Parler's technical service provider, but canceled the contract after supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked the Capitol.

Parler then went offline and still has not restored service.

With other providers, Parler has at least brought its website online.

Amazon justified the termination with the fact that Parler did not offer sufficient regulations to protect against dangerous content.

Parler alleged in the lawsuit that Amazon had colluded with competitor Twitter and thus violated competition law.

In addition, Amazon violated contractual terms with the quick termination.

However, the judge concluded that Parler could not produce any convincing arguments that would warrant an injunction.

There was no evidence of an agreement between Amazon and Twitter - and Parler himself violated the contract with Amazon because calls for violence remained online.

Judge admits existence problems for Parler

For an injunction, a plaintiff in the USA must show, among other things, that he has a chance of success in the matter, that he could suffer irreparable damage and that such a decision is in the public interest.

The judge admitted that Parler was threatened with the end of Amazon's actions - but that alone was not enough for an injunction.

Parler described itself as an online platform focused on freedom of speech.

The platform works like Twitter, but the language is more uninhibited, often right-wing extremist, misogynistic and anti-Semitic.

In court, Amazon had referred to Parler contributions, which among other things called for the "civil war" and the murder of politicians after Donald Trump handed over the presidency to Joe Biden on January 20.

In view of the increasingly tough crackdown by Twitter and Facebook against calls for violence and conspiracy theories, Trump supporters have migrated to Parler in recent months.

Trump, who was banned from Twitter and Facebook until further notice, lost another platform for direct communication with Parler.

Icon: The mirror

ptz / dpa / Reuters