How Taking Parler Down Could Save the Internet

More than a few people noticed when, at midnight Pacific time Monday, Amazon Web Services suspended its hosting for the social network Parler. Just days before, Google and Apple removed the Parler app from the Android and iOS app stores. While it might find another host, Parler, the short-messaging social network used heavily by the groups that stormed the Capitol, is dark at a time when public concern over concentration in the digital economy has reached a fever pitch. The actions of the three companies are different from Twitter's and Facebook's decisions to suspend President Trump's accounts. They affect an entire service, not a person. It's understandable but wrong to contend that the loss of Parler as a platform is harmful to free speech, competition, or safety. In fact, these companies were right to refuse service to Parler both as a matter of law and policy. Read Full Article »