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Politico | Tech bites back against Trump machine as war between Silicon Valley and Washington takes a new turn
- Twitter permanently banned Trump’s account and Facebook froze him, while Apple, Amazon and Google suspended Parler, a popular platform among his supporters
- So why did Silicon Valley decide it has had enough of Trump now, after so many years of turmoil?
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This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Nancy Scola on politico.com on January 9, 2021.
Silicon Valley is punching back.
After more than 1,400 days of trying to placate and handle US President Donald Trump and his allies, the tech industry is taking on the Trump machine with just days left in the president’s term.
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In a flurry of quick moves this week, Twitter permanently banned Trump’s account and Facebook kicked him off its platform for at least the remainder of his presidency, while Google and Apple cracked down on a social platform seen as a refuge for Trump and his supporters. Companies such as Reddit, TikTok and Pinterest also announced restrictions after a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol in the president’s name.
Parler, a popular platform among Trump’s supporters, was suspended by Apple and Amazon on Saturday after it failed to implement a better moderation plan for posts threatening violence. Google similarly decided on Friday to remove the platform from its Play Store for failing to address posts that encouraged violence.
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