Amazon Fail and Censorship through De-Ranking

Posted by Susan Whelan Apr 13, 2009

The book topic to beat all others over the Easter weekend has been the controversy surrounding Amazon’s apparent blocking of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender titles.

The screening has been described by Amazon as a “glitch” in their attempt to screen titles with “adult” content, but it seems that titles that many might consider offensive due to sexual violence or extreme sexual practices have not been excluded. There are also titles, such as D H Lawrence's Lady Chatterley’s Lover that were excluded in one format and not another. The de-ranking of titles seems to have been limited to those featuring pro-GLBT themes and characters.

Book and marketing blogs throughout the blogosphere have featured a variety of theories on the objective and execution of the de-ranking, which prevents de-ranked titles from appearing in search listings and best seller rankings, thereby making it almost impossible for customers to access these books.

Censorship in Bookstores

There are several issues arising from this Amazon debacle. Naturally the first to consider is censorship.

Does a general bookstore, whether one with a shop front or a purely internet entity, have the right to covertly exclude titles in a particular genre? There are plenty of speciality bookstores that limit which genres they sell, and this seems more than reasonable. Is it also acceptable for a general bookstore to censor titles by making it excessively difficult for customers to find titles in a particular genre?

The Power of the Internet and Social Networking

Another significant issue to arise from the weekend is the power of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Twitter book enthusiasts have been particularly active since the news of Amazon’s de-ranking scheme broke on Sunday. For those on Twitter who have somehow managed to miss the buzz, check the #amazonfail tag.

Tweeters and bloggers have roundly condemned the actions of Amazon and it is mystifying to me that such an internet retail giant has remained all but mute. Not only has there been no substantive explanation from Amazon, but they have also remained noticeable by their absence from the discussions invading the internet in the past few days.

More Information on the Amazon De-Ranking Issue

For more detailed accounts of what Amazon has done and the internet community response, visit Jacket Copy, the LA Times book blog by Carolyn Kellogg, or any of a range of book blogs including Kat Meyer’s post at Follow the Reader.

I'd love to hear your comments on what the Amazon customer response should be to this situation and/or your views on retail censorship.