The editors of The Washington Post have come forward in support of censorship amid Big Tech’s ongoing efforts to shut down the social media platform Parler.
In the headline, “Parler deserves to be picked up. We still need new rules for the Internet,” the Post described the app as a “fringe, laissez-faire social media site” featuring President Trump possibly given another platform following its permanent ban on Twitter and suspensions elsewhere. But now even Parler is no longer an option for the president, as Apple and Google have removed the app from its stores and Amazon Web Services has essentially pulled the plug on the entire app.
THE FORMER CEO BLASTS AOC, ELECTED OFFICERS WHO BAN HIS APP
“Mr. Trump and his followers say they are the victims of anti-conservative discrimination. Their complaints are not convincing,” the editors wrote. “It is legitimate for corporate actors to address their sites with the possibility of causing harm, such as the explicit conspiracy that preceded last week’s armed uprising in the Capitol.”
After acknowledging that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos acknowledged the newspaper was being asked, the Post called for more internet regulations to ensure ‘safety’.
“If we want a roadmap for the Twitters and Parlers of the Web – for example, rules on incitement to violence, it must be determined by our elected representatives and not unelected CEOs,” the Post explained. “And if we want these rules to be applied fairly, without addressing what is simply unpopular, then we need to insist that companies put in place systems for transparency, notification and appeal to their decisions.”
CONSERVATIVE FLIGHT TO NEXT NEXT TWITTER’S PERMANENT SUSPENSION OF TRUMP
The editorial later went on to say: “Some would say it puts us on a slippery slope towards unacceptable restrictions on expression. They are right, but the alternative is violent rhetoric that is not controlled, which we now know all too well. “It is time for the public to take action. It is time for the public to insist that the government do its job and establish some rules that balance the urgency of freedom of speech with the need for public safety.”
Describing itself as a non-biased platform that promotes freedom of speech, Parler has seen a huge surge among new users after Twitter announced that President Trump has been permanently banned from his platform, urging supporters of the president to to flee the Trump-friendly app.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Shortly afterwards, however, Parler was under siege by liberal critics and other tech giants for being accused of letting extremist rhetoric flow onto the platform following riots on Capitol Hill last week.
Parler retaliated against Amazon by filing an antitrust lawsuit against the company run by Bezos.