The social media platform Parler, which has become a refuge for conservatives, has dropped its antitrust lawsuit against Amazon Web Services for kicking it offline after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Parler’s popularity soared in the aftermath of the 2020 election, as former President Donald Trump’s fans looked for an alternative to Twitter and Facebook, until Amazon and other tech companies intervened.
In the aftermath of the riot at the Capitol, Amazon Web Services booted Parler offline amid concerns that content hosted on the platform could lead to real-world harm. Parler responded by suing Amazon Web Services in a Seattle-based federal court later that month and alleged that Amazon’s action was “the equivalent of pulling the plug on a hospital patient on life support.”
A federal judge ruled in January against Parler’s request that Amazon be forced to restore its services to Parler. The judge did not rule on the underlying claims of Parler’s case then and allowed it to proceed.
Parler’s attorneys filed for a dismissal late on Tuesday. In the interim between the filing of its lawsuit and its decision to drop the case against Amazon, Parler returned to the web. After more than a month offline, Parler relaunched online last month.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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