(OPINION) ETH – Parler may have set the precedent of what is coming for alternative social media networks. According to a new report, A California court is now trying to force Google to remove Telegram from its Play store, over claims that the messenger app is reportedly being used to incite violence.
This comes as a similar suit has been brought against Apple. According to a report from RT News the suit was filed by Marc Ginsberg, who is a former US ambassador to Morocco, claiming that Telegram is used to spread violence, extremism, and anti-Semitism. Ginsberg’s is a non-profit, Coalition for a Safer Web (CSW), and was also listed as a plaintiff.
According to Ginsberg, Telegram should receive the same treatment as Parler due to some users expressing support for the violence that rocked the Capitol on January 6th. “Google has not taken any action against Telegram comparable to the action it has taken against Parler to compel Telegram to improve its content moderation policies,” the suit alleges.
The report states that Ginsberg and CSW also filed a similar complaint last week against Apple, who also scrubbed Parler from its app store following the unrest in the capital. In the suit, the plaintiffs describe Telegram as “the preferred neo-Nazi/white nationalist communications channel, fanning anti-Semitic and anti-black incitement during the current wave of protests across America.”
The lawsuit claims that the app is quickly becoming a breeding ground for extremism as Parler users “migrate” to other apps. The legal challenges are part of CWS’ stated mission of limiting “extremists’ access to internet infrastructure” and advocating for the “expeditious removal of extremist & terrorist incitement and instruction content from social media platforms.”
