On December 3, 2024, OpenSecrets was selected to receive a 2024 AWS IMAGINE Grant, an initiative by AWS Partner Network designed to leverage machine learning for enhancing the accessibility and efficiency of data on money in politics. This move bolsters transparency and democratic accountability, aligning corporate efforts with progressive, anti‐authoritarian values.

The article details Amazon's significant increase in lobbying spending at both the EU and national levels since 2020, peaking in 2021, along with a large-scale PR campaign such as the 'Ratatouille' initiative designed to rebrand the company as sustainable and a good employer. These activities are interpreted as efforts to stave off tighter regulation and dilute growing criticism over its practices.

AWS Partner Network has expanded its long-running collaboration with Defending Digital Campaigns to offer over 20 cybersecurity services at low-to-no cost to eligible national party committees and federal candidate campaigns, including secure communication tools like AWS Wickr, thereby bolstering democratic campaign security.

In 2023, Amazon spent $17.8 million on lobbying efforts aimed at stalling regulatory oversight and forestalling antitrust reforms, actions that the article characterizes as undermining public accountability and serving corporate interests at the expense of working people.

Amazon's corporate response to the 2023 AGM shareholder proposals detailed measures addressing surveillance technology's misuse, transparency of content governance, labor and union rights, and ethical practices. The company highlighted its responsible use of AI/ML, including a global moratorium on police use of Rekognition’s facial comparison feature, alongside improved worker safety metrics and pay equity.

An article examines concerns over AWS content moderation practices including past removals of Parler and ISIS-related sites, and reports on a denied expansion of its trust and safety team. Although AWS maintains that its policies remain unchanged, critics warn that a more aggressive censorship approach at the infrastructure level could risk collateral damage to legitimate businesses.

A Reuters report indicated that AWS was planning to form a dedicated censorship team to proactively remove content that allegedly violates its policies. The report, dated September 3, 2021, raised concerns about increased control over digital speech. An update from AWS later stated that the Trust & Safety team had always existed and no new changes were planned, but the initial report has sparked debate about potential authoritarian control mechanisms in content moderation.

Reports indicate that AWS is set to hire domain experts and enhance its existing trust and safety team's efforts to proactively monitor and remove extremist content from its cloud services, following previous actions against extremist propaganda sites and platforms such as the Islamic State propaganda website and Parler.

AWS, acting as a service provider, suspended Parler's account after repeated instances of extremist content that incited violence and hate. The suspension was taken following warnings and a legal filing by Parler, and it reflects AWS's decision to uphold public safety by enforcing its own community standards.

Following the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack, AWS discontinued hosting Parler due to concerns over its insufficient moderation of extremist content. This move highlights AWS's role in policing digital platforms and countering hate speech online.