Popular online store Amazon is facing a high level of public scrutiny related to several controversial cases in which the store offered a so-called pedophile ebook along with questionable video content for sale.
The controversy first started when Amazon users asked the store to remove "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: A Child-Lover's Code of Conduct" from the online Kindle book store. Critics immediately threatened the company with holiday boycotts if nothing was done, while Amazon defended itself with the following statement:
"Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable. Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions."
Although some agreed that Amazon isn't in the right spot to censor material, public campaigns against Amazon were launched on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites. The growing anger among shoppers and Internet users quickly forced Amazon to remove the book from the Kindle book store.
The book first went on sale on Oct. 28 for $4.79 to download, and Amazon has defended the book’s availability since it was first put on sale. Since I'm unsure what is actually contained in the book, it's difficult to comment on its content.
Amazon now faces another public relations disaster after a new MSNBC report indicates the popular e-tailer sold books and video that reportedly depict "pre-pubescent Eastern European and Asian girls, some of whom are nude" to customers in the United States and Japan. The full MSNBC report can be found here.
Not surprisingly, Amazon has been relatively quiet on both matters, with individual reporters unable to reach Amazon officials for comment.
Typically, the biggest news from Amazon around this time of year is the company's holiday promotions and large Kindle marketing push. This PR disaster caused by Amazon overshadows the fact that the company will hire 15,500 seasonal workers at a time when unemployment remains high.
These topics are definitely tricky to navigate, as they involve both freedom of speech and censorship issues. Everyone seems to have their own opinion on what they think Amazon should or shouldn't do.
