Parler’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon came to an abrupt end. The Verge reports that Parler dropped out of the action last night (March 2). The social site did not give an explanation for the withdrawal, but said it had the right to sue again in the future. The move came at a time when Parler was due to file an amended complaint after obtaining a two-week extension on February 16.
We asked Parler for a comment.
Amazon cut Parler’s access to hosting services on January 9, days after the United States Capitol riot. The internet giant claimed that Parler violated the terms of service by allowing an increasing number of posts that “clearly” promote violence before the turmoil, even after months of warnings. Parler dismissed the accusations of negligent moderation and sued Amazon for allegedly taking down the site’s website to help Twitter eliminate competition, a claim that Amazon rejected.
There is less incentive for Parler to proceed with the process. Although he tried to force Amazon to restore the hosting, it finally went back online using a combination of services. This return to service was expected to influence the amended complaint, although Parler did not suggest abandoning the case altogether.
It is safe to say that Parler is in a worse place than before the Capitol incident. Apple and Google removed Parler’s app from their respective stores and refused to bring it back. And while the loss of support from AWS was not fatal for Parler, it clearly forced the company to use an alternative infrastructure that would not have scale either. For now, at least, the site will not have as much influence as in the past.