Parler CEO says app could go offline for a week from Sunday after Amazon suspension

Parler CEO John Matze on Saturday night announced that the “free speech” app could go offline for up to a week from Sunday after Amazon kicked the social media platform off its web hosting service.

On Saturday, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Trust and Safety team told Parler that it would stop hosting the app effective Sunday, January 10 at 11:59 p.m. PST, after the U.S. Capitol was stormed by a pro-Trump mob that used the platform to plan their attacks, according to Buzzfeed News.

Matze told users that it’s possible “Parler will be unavailable to the internet for up to a week as we rebuild from scratch,” according to a screenshot shared by Parlertakes.

“Sunday (tomorrow) at midnight Amazon will be shutting off all of our servers in an attempt to completely remove free speech,” Matze said in a statement shared to Parler. “We prepared for events like this by never relying on amazons [sic] proprietary infrastructure and building bare metal products.”

Matze promised users that he will try “move to a new provider right now as we have many competing for our business.”

Amazon’s decision came after Google Play and Apple suspended Parler from its app stores for failing to adequately moderate and remove dangerous and harmful content. Google suspended the social media network favored by Trump supporters on Friday.

On the same day, Apple told Parler to “remove all objectionable content from your app” or face removal from the store, and gave the app 24 hours to submit a plan to restrict content. Apple moved to remove Parler on Saturday afternoon.

“Your response also references a moderation plan ‘for the time being,’ which does not meet the ongoing requirements in Guideline 1.2—Safety—User Generated content,” Apple said in a letter to Parler announcing the suspension. “A temporary ‘task force’ is not a sufficient response given the widespread proliferation of harmful content.”

Matze called the suspensions by Google Play, Apple and Amazon a “coordinated attack by the tech giants to kill competition in the marketplace.”

“We were too successful too fast,” he said. “You can expect the war on competition and free speech to continue, but don’t count us out.”

Conservatives, including those that support Trump’s unverified allegation that widespread voter fraud caused his election defeat to President-elect Joe Biden, have been turning to Parler in recent months to circumvent Facebook and Twitter censorship.

Trump accused Twitter of suppressing free speech and suggested he may start his own social media network after he was permanently banned from the platform.

Newsweek reached out to Parler for comment.