Parler withdraws its lawsuit against Amazon for kicking it off AWS
It's less essential now that the site is back online.
Parler's antitrust lawsuit against Amazon has come to an abrupt end. The Verge reports that Parler withdrew the suit late yesterday (March 2nd). The social site didn't provide an explanation for the withdrawal, but said it had the right to sue again in the future. The move came just as Parler was expected to file an amended complaint after getting a two-week extension on February 16th.
We've asked Parler for comment.
Amazon cut off Parler's access to hosting services on January 9th, days after the US Capitol riot. The internet giant claimed that Parler violated terms of service by allowing an increasing number of posts that "clearly" promoted violence ahead of the riot, even after months of warnings. Parler rejected claims of negligent moderation and sued Amazon for allegedly knocking the site offline to help Twitter squeeze out competition, an allegation Amazon dismissed.
There's less incentive for Parler to pursue the lawsuit. While it did try to force Amazon to restore hosting, it eventually got back online using a mix of services. That return to service was expected to influence the amended complaint, although Parler hadn't hinted at dropping its case altogether.
It's safe to say Parler is in a worse place than it was before the Capitol incident. Apple and Google have both pulled Parler's app from their respective stores, and have declined to bring it back. And while the loss of AWS support wasn't ultimately fatal to Parler, it clearly forced the company to use alternative infrastructure that wasn't going to scale as well. For now, at least, the site just won't have as much clout as in the past.
