Last Updated on February 3, 2021
Amazon’s AWS web hosting service has struck a deal with Twitter to host the social media giant’s platform on its global cloud infrastructure. Amazon has agreed to do so ignoring that violent content that goes against their policies exists on Twitter user timelines.
While the conservative social media platform Parler struggles to get back online after Amazon removed the platform from its servers claiming poor moderation of violent content, it remains unclear why Twitter has apparently been exempted from that policy.
Double standard? Amazon still committed to hosting Twitter, even as service leaves up incendiary content | Just The News https://t.co/55f0vkrIPi
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) February 1, 2021
Amazon dropped Parler citing its lax content moderation after Apple and Google banned the Parler app from their respective web stores. There has been criticism of the Big Three’s seemingly coordinated efforts to marginalize their conservative leaning competition in a manner that conjured the notion of collusion.
Amazon’s move to oust Parler appeared to indicate the Big Tech giant was dedicating itself to taking a stronger stance against user-generated posts advocating violence, this at a moment when emotionally charged lawmakers were focused on the effects of violent content on social media.
But with the announcement that Amazon AWS will host Twitter despite the platform currently facing litigation claiming they allowed child pornography to remain on the platform, Amazon is sending confusing signals.
In addition to the lawsuit from a minor who is alleging Twitter allowed child pornography exploiting him to remain on the platform, to date, Twitter continues to allow both lesser-known and more prominent account holders to post violent content without penalty or account termination.
“Under the multi-year deal,” Amazon announced, “Twitter will leverage AWS’s proven infrastructure and portfolio of services to support delivery of millions of daily Tweets.”
An online news organization’s review of random Twitter accounts revealed the social media giant routinely failed to remove tweets glorifying and promoting violence.
Amazon needs to apply its rules fairly to everyone. If not, it is discrimination and denial of service. @IWV https://t.co/cpbPUTCbE6 via @JustTheNews
— Heather R. Higgins (@TheHRH) February 1, 2021
When queried about the existing Twitter posts that violate Amazon’s content policy, a spokeswoman for Amazon said the company was still planning on moving ahead with bringing Twitter aboard its AWS platform.
Asked again why Amazon would permit Twitter to be housed on its servers while allowing violent content on its platform, the spokeswoman said those violent tweets in question don’t violate AWS’s policies because they are not currently being hosted by AWS.
The Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment as to whether Amazon would force the removal of those tweets once Twitter came aboard AWS.
