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Parler goes offline after Amazon hosting suspension over violent content

Google and Apple suspended the conservative-oriented social media platform after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol.
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Parler is a Twitter-like social media platform that has been a destination for conservative politicians and media figures.Olivier Douliery / AFP via Getty Images

Social media site Parler has gone offline after Amazon suspended it from its server hosting service Sunday over violent and threatening content.

Google Play and Apple both decided to remove the platform from its app stores over the weekend.

Supporters of President Donald Trump used Parler, the "Twitter for conservatives," to express hatred and threaten violence that culminated in Wednesday's riots at the U.S. Capitol, the tech giants said.

Users attempting to access Parler.com Monday morning were greeted with the browser message: "parler.com’s server IP address could not be found."

NBC News has contacted Parler for comment.

"Recently, we've seen a steady increase in this violent content on your website, all of which violates our terms," the Amazon Web Services trust and safety team said in a letter to Parler obtained by NBC News over the weekend.

"It's clear that Parler does not have an effective process to comply with the AWS terms of service," it said.

Parler CEO John Matze, writing on his platform, called the decision by Amazon an "attempt to completely remove free speech off the internet."

"There is the possibility Parler will be unavailable on the internet for up to a week as we rebuild from scratch," he wrote.

Matze accused the Silicon Valley tech giants of a "coordinated effort knowing our options would be limited and knowing this would inflict the most damage right as President Trump was banned from the tech companies."

Matze said Sunday on Fox News that almost every internet services company that Parler relies on has canceled its business.

"Every vendor from text message services to email providers to our lawyers all ditched us too on the same day," Matze said.

Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. described the situation in a tweet as a "purge of conservative ideas and thought leaders."

Twitter permanently suspended the president on Friday, citing "the risk of further incitement of violence." The next day, Apple's App Store joined Google Play in suspending Parler until it adopts stricter content moderation.

"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," Apple said in a statement Saturday.

In a letter to Parler, Apple's app review board said, "We have continued to find direct threats of violence and calls to incite lawless action" on the social media platform.

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Amazon's letter to Parler included screenshots of some of the content it said violated its terms for hosting. A Parler user posted that he would give liberals "a damn bullet to your damn head."

Another said, "We need to systematically start assassinating #liberal leaders."

Amazon declined to comment.

Parler, founded in 2018, found traction in a social media world in which Facebook and Twitter moderate content more rigorously. Parler does not have a formal set of moderation policies.

Twitter banned several accounts Friday, including permanently suspending Trump's personal account for violating its terms about inciting violence.

Facebook indefinitely banned Trump on its main app and on Instagram for violating its policies.