Amazon has announced that they will be taking a more “hands-on approach” to how they rule out and censor violating content from its cloud hosting service. They said they will actively promote the removal of this content by hiring a small group of individuals within its Amazon Web Services division to “monitor rule-violating content.” While Amazon currently holds 40% of the cloud service market share, censoring even more websites and apps could force them to find other hosts or disappear from the internet entirely. But at this point, violent content means anything that goes against the mainstream narrative.
Earlier this year, the social media app Parler was repeatedly suspended by Amazon Web Services after supposedly failing to moderate the content on its platform. Amazon said that the app didn’t have an “effective process” to comply with their terms of service and removed content without urgency. The biggest controversy was over allegations that the app was used to coordinate the Jan. 6 riots inside the Capitol building, even though reports found that a large portion of the planning was done openly on Twitter and Facebook.
Amazon has previously talked about its moderation policies, stating that it will continue to protect customers, partners, and internet users from people using their services for “abusive or illegal purposes.” Amazon states how their Trust & Safety team investigates and engages with reports of abusive or illegal behavior to “take appropriate actions,” adding that they expect their team to continue to expand and grow.
Amazon announced that their team will also be working with outside researchers to review and identify any offending content. They are currently hiring two positions in its Trust & Safety Team, a Manager and a Team Manager, tasked with overseeing “potential abuse issues” and contacting customers to put a stop to these harmful acts. They reiterated their commitment to removing content that violates their policies but said they would not be employing a “proactive approach” to content moderation. They emphasized how they will only respond after being notified of a potential violation.
But two other sources from within the company have cited that Amazon is planning to monitor “proactive threats” and “seek out prohibited content” before it is reported by users. While Amazon has not immediately denied these claims, it is clear that they have moved past proactively monitoring what’s on their platforms in exchange for everyone else’s. Amazon could easily become one of the most powerful arbiters of content allowed on the internet.
The Biden Administration has continued to emphasize its plans to work with Big Tech platforms like Facebook and Twitter to remove any “misinformation” that contradicts its political goals. The announcement also comes after the reports that the Jan 6. The congressional committee subpoenaed the cellphone records of GOP lawmakers and helped the government spy on Americans. The Biden Administration has also been working with Big Tech to impose political censorship against their adversaries, particularly banning investigative journalists who do not follow government claims about COVID-19.
Big Tech has also cracked down on everything from gun sites to mainstream Christian and conservative organizations. They’ve continued to turn a blind eye to the smear machines pushing liberal narratives online.
President Biden is trying to pave a path to the internet that only services the religion of leftism, and without any personal independence, entrepreneurship, or social creativity. It’s clear that more platforms and websites are starting to build their own domains and infrastructure against Big Tech. The more power they have over the internet, the more they can control who is allowed to start businesses and what they have.
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