Dear Mr. Bezos:
We write about Amazon’s recent political censorship activities, especially the decision to remove the book When Harry Become Sally by Conservative scholar Ryan Anderson from the Amazon website, Kindle and Audible platforms. For the past 72 hours, Amazon has been unable to adequately explain how Anderson’s book, which reached the top of two of Amazon’s bestseller lists before it was even released in 2018, allegedly violated vague, undefined ‘offensive’ content. ‘standard.
When Harry Sally led important discussions in the national media and among policymakers in 2018, he remains one of the books that has been carefully researched and compassionately cited. By removing this book from its markets and services, Amazon unashamedly used its extraordinary market share to silence an important voice just for violating the violation of awake group thinking.
The internet is at its best as it is an open market of ideas that bring people together to share, learn from each other and engage in a variety of commercial activities. More Americans than ever before have relied on online retail to meet their basic needs, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In his decision to open the book of mr. Removing Anderson from his platforms, Amazon has openly signaled to conservative Americans that their opinion is not welcome on its platforms. Amazon’s short-sighted censorship of this well-researched and thoughtful contribution to modern American discourse is not just a decision made in bad taste, but an attack on free speech that has weighty implications for the future of an open conversation in the digital era.
In his decision to open the book of mr. To remove Anderson from his platforms, Amazon has neglected this duty and openly signaled to conservative Americans that their opinion is not welcome on its platforms. We ask answers, along with supporting documentation, including communications with other technology companies and members of the Biden administration, to the following questions to clarify the intent and scope of the steps Amazon has taken to censor the speech:
Did Amazon have discussions in 2018 before Harry Becally Sally was first published on content related to your community standards? If so, please provide documentation explaining why the book was allowed on the platform at the time.
What was the motivating factor behind Amazon’s decision to remove access to this book after being offered for sale for more than three years? Is this action part of a broader campaign against conservative material and votes on Amazon’s platforms?
Did the book violate an Amazon policy? If so, please provide documentation regarding the policy, what sections Amazon has identified as ‘offensive content’, and the step-by-step process under which the decision was made to remove the book. Has the policy changed between 2018 and now? If so, please provide documentation that led to the change and how publishers and sellers were notified of the change.
Has the author or publisher of the book been warned in advance about removing the book from Amazon’s platforms? Is there a reason for the removal provided to them or some form of appeal?
Amazon Web Services offers countless websites related to religious, politically conservative, classical liberal and other content that fall outside the realm of acceptable waking group thinking. Are the sites at risk of being rejected by Amazon? How does determining which website to host compare to the books of Amazon’s platforms?
We would appreciate an answer no later than March 9, 2021. Thank you very much for your attention to this critical matter.
Friendly greeting
Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
Mike Braun (R-IN)
Josh Hawley (R-MO)