According to the latest news, Amazon is planning to expand its in-house moderation team for Amazon Web Services. Reuters was the first publisher to report the story. The report cites two sources and claims Amazon is planning to develop a proactive threat monitoring capability within AWS. It will seek out prohibited content on AWS servers and remove it before it is reported by users.
After the report was public, Amazon neither confirmed nor rejected the developments. A representative said in a statement, “As AWS continues to expand, this team (like most teams in AWS) will continue to grow.” Amazon has long maintained an Acceptable Use Policy for AWS which forbids using the service for computer intrusions, spam, or the promotion of violence and crimes. Despite such policy, enforcing those terms has been largely reactive. Now, the policy itself will not change, but the aggressive enforcement approach will put AWS in the same category as major platforms like Facebook and YouTube.
However, the shift toward proactive moderation will likely inflame conservative concerns about supposed censorship on AWS. Some aspects of that shift already appear to be underway. Reuters pointed out in their report that Amazon took down an ISIS-linked website earlier this week.
It can be considered as a part of a broader hiring push by CEO Andy Jassy. Jassy was previously been in charge of AWS. Jassy has planned to hire around 55,000 new employees in tech and corporate roles.
