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Comment by jnwatson | Hacker News Reader

He makes an interesting point distinguishing Twitter's right to censor to AWS dropping Parler.

> Apple, Google, AWS are much more like "common infrastructure providers" than a social media site is.

I think there's a further distinction between AWS and Apple/Google. Apple and Google (in the Parler context) are essentially publishers of a sort: they publish apps. I don't see a meaningful difference between publishing tweets and applications.

However, the AWS activity seems troublesome. Would it be OK if AWS pulled the plug on you if you criticized Bezos or consumerism or big tech in general? The line between AWS and your public utility is not that far. The line between AWS and "net neutrality" isn't that far either.

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>Would it be OK if AWS pulled the plug on you if you criticized Bezos or consumerism or big tech in general?

It'd also feel shitty if Twitter banned me for criticizing Twitter, so I'm not so sure this is the correct rubric.

It would feel bad, but that's not really something for legal action.

The important question is whether you have legal recourse or other mechanism for redress.

> Would it be OK if AWS pulled the plug on you if you criticized Bezos or consumerism or big tech in general?

Considering that AWS hosts the National Enquirer, which posted certain, erm, compromising things about Bezos, I think it's safe to say that this analogy has been debunked in practice.

AWS seems to be drawing a bright line at credible threats of violence, and I don't think that is a slippery slope at all.

AWS is just one of hundreds if not thousands of hosting services. Is GoDaddy allowed to terminate someone's account? Linode? The 1 employee host I use in Chicago? AWS is one of the biggest hosts on the web, but they're still just a host. Other hosts exist and are readily available to move to, and there's no meaningful loss in internet availability between one and any other. The most likely reason that Parler can't manage to find a new host is that every other host now knows who they are and what they stand for, and will come knocking if they try to sign up and spin up instances. Parler ran out of giant megahosts they can hide in without having to speak to a person. On an internet that still hosts The Gab, Stormfront and numerous other deplorable sites, it's quite a feat to not be able to find any host willing to take you. That feat is pretty much relegated to child pornography and terrorism.

Let's not mince words: Parler knowingly aided in organizing a domestic terrorist insurrection on the US Capital. Anyone providing hosting to them at this point would be taking on a massive liability. Slippery Slope arguments about kicking off dissenters simply do not apply in this case.

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