What you need to know
- GOP Lawmakers have written to Apple, Amazon, and Google over the treatment of social media app Parler.
- They say that it appears company actions seem to lack procedural fairness.
- They also claimed that events had created the appearance of close coordination between the companies.
Republican lawmakers have written to Apple, Amazon, and Google over their treatment of social media app Parler.
As reported by Politico:
Two top Republican lawmakers demanded information from Google, Apple and Amazon on Wednesday over their takedowns of Parler in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot, arguing in a letter that the popular-among-conservatives social network didn't receive "procedural fairness."
Rep. Ken Buck and Sen. Mike Lee have written letters to Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai, and Jeff Bezos, stating that their actions "seem to lack any of the procedural fairness" usually afforded, creating "the appearance of close coordination." According to the report, the letter demands that companies provide answers by April 15, detailing who was involved in the final decision to suspend the platform and information on how those companies "usually review potential violations".
Apple pulled Parler from the App Store on January 9 stating:
We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity. Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people's safety. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues.
Apple refused Parler's request to return to the App Store earlier in March stating the company had not done enough to strengthen moderation, saying that simple searches of the platform "reveal highly objectionable content, including easily identified offensive uses of derogatory terms regarding race, religion and sexual orientation, as well as Nazi symbols."
