{"id":31272,"date":"2021-01-11T16:34:33","date_gmt":"2021-01-11T21:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=31272"},"modified":"2021-06-07T11:38:37","modified_gmt":"2021-06-07T15:38:37","slug":"parler-removed-from-app-stores-and-aws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2021\/01\/11\/parler-removed-from-app-stores-and-aws\/","title":{"rendered":"Parler Removed From App Stores and AWS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ryan Mac and John Paczkowski<\/a> (tweet<\/a>, MacRumors<\/a>, Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

“We have received numerous complaints regarding objectionable content in your Parler service, accusations that the Parler app was used 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 wrote to Parler. “The app also appears to continue to be used to plan and facilitate yet further illegal and dangerous activities.”<\/p>

Apple said that “to ensure there is no interruption of the availability of your app on the App Store,” Parler was required to submit an update and a “requested moderation improvement plan within 24 hours of the date of the message,” which was sent on Friday morning. Apple said if it did not receive an update from the company within that time frame, the app would be removed from the App store.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Jay Peters<\/a>, quoting Google (Hacker<\/a> News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

In order to protect user safety on Google Play, our longstanding policies require that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence. All developers agree to these terms and we have reminded Parler of this clear policy in recent months. We’re aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the US. We recognize that there can be reasonable debate about content policies and that it can be difficult for apps to immediately remove all violative content, but for us to distribute an app through Google Play, we do require that apps implement robust moderation for egregious content. In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat, we are suspending the app’s listings from the Play Store until it addresses these issues.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Jay Peters and Kim Lyons<\/a> (MacRumors<\/a>):<\/p>\n

Apparently, Parler did propose some changes, but Apple decided they weren’t sufficient, according to a statement Apple sent to Parler alongside its final decision to remove the app. It states that “the processes Parler has put in place to moderate or prevent the spread of dangerous and illegal content have proved insufficient,” and that Parler will not return to the App Store until it has “demonstrated your ability to effectively moderate and filter the dangerous and harmful content on your service.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

John Paczkowski and Ryan Mac<\/a> (Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

\n

Amazon notified Parler that it would be cutting off the social network favored by conservatives and extremists from its cloud hosting service Amazon Web Services, according to an email obtained by BuzzFeed News. The suspension, which will go into effect on Sunday just before midnight, means that Parler will be unable to operate and will go offline unless it can find another hosting service.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

In an email obtained by BuzzFeed News, an AWS Trust and Safety team told Parler Chief Policy Officer Amy Peikoff that the calls for violence propagating across the social network violated its terms of service. Amazon said it was unconvinced that the service’s plan to use volunteers to moderate calls for violence and hate speech would be effective.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n