Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, photographed on September 13, 2018.
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A group of corporate employees at Amazon is asking the company to stop providing cloud services for Parler, a social media app popular with Trump supporters.
In a tweet on Saturday, employee advocacy group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice said Amazon Web Services should “deny Parler services until it removes messages that incite violence, including presidential inauguration.” AWS provides cloud services to Parler who hosts its website.
Representatives from Amazon and Parler did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pressure has been building for Amazon to stop hosting Parler on AWS after other tech giants took action against the social media app in the wake of the deadly US Capitol riot earlier this week. On Friday, Google removed Parler from its app store for Android users, the Google Play Store. BuzzFeed News reported on Friday that Apple had threatened to remove Parler from its App Store.
Parler, which launched in 2018, emerged as a popular platform for President Trump’s allies last year, presenting itself as a free speech alternative to major social media services like Twitter and Facebook.
Screenshots of the Parler app viewed by CNBC show users posting references to firing squads, as well as calls to bring weapons into presidential tenure later this month. AWS’s Acceptable Use Policy states that it prohibits customers from using its services “for any illegal, harmful, fraudulent, infringing or offensive use”.
Amazon had already severed relations with customers who violated its rules. In 2019, Amazon canceled a fundraising site used by Gab, a social media site that caters to conservatives, after violating Amazon’s policies on hateful content.
The group of employees, AECJ, has had some success making their demands heard in the past. Last April, the group staged an “online strike” in protest against the company’s labor practices. In addition, the group is widely credited for influencing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos ‘decision to announce a comprehensive climate change plan after the group pushed for changes to the company’s 2019 shareholders’ meeting.
– CNBC’s Kif Leswing contributed to this report.