Dear Mr. Bezos:
We wrote about Amazon’s recent political censorship activities, particularly the decision to remove the book When Harry Became Sally, by conservative scholar Ryan Anderson, from the Amazon website, Kindle and Audible platforms. In the past 72 hours, Amazon has not been able to provide sufficient explanation of how Anderson’s book, which topped two of Amazon’s bestseller lists even before being released in 2018, allegedly violated vague and indefinite offensive content ‘ pattern.
When Harry became Sally it sparked important discussions in the national media and among policy makers in 2018, and remains one of the most rigorously researched and compassionately argued books on the subject. By removing this book from its markets and services, Amazon openly exercised its outsized market share to silence an important voice merely for the crime of violating awakened group thinking.
The Internet is at its best when it is an open marketplace of ideas that brings people together to share, learn from each other and engage in a range of commercial activities. Many Americans have come to depend on online retailing more than ever to meet their basic needs, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In its decision to remove Anderson’s book from its platforms, Amazon has openly signaled to conservative Americans that its views are not welcome on its platforms. Amazon’s myopic censorship of this well-researched and careful contribution to modern American discourse is not just a bad decision, but an attack on freedom of expression that has heavy implications for the future of open discourse in the digital age.
In its decision to remove Anderson’s book from its platforms, Amazon neglected that duty and openly signaled to conservative Americans that its views are not welcome on its platforms. We request responses, along with supporting documentation, including communication with other technology companies and members of the Biden administration, to the following questions to clarify the intentions and extent of actions taken by Amazon to censor speech:
Did Amazon have any discussions in 2018 before the first publication of When Harry Became Sally about content related to your community’s standards? If so, please provide documentation that explains 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 hosting it for sale for more than three years? Is this action part of a broader campaign against conservative material and voices on Amazon platforms?
Did the book violate an Amazon policy? If so, please provide documentation related to the policy, which passages Amazon identified as ‘offensive content’ and the step-by-step process under which the determination to remove the book was made. Has the policy changed between 2018 and now? If so, please provide the documentation that led to the change and how publishers and vendors were notified of the change.
Has the author or publisher of the book been notified in advance of removing the book from Amazon platforms? Did they receive a reason for removal or a form of appeal?
Amazon Web Services hosts numerous sites related to religious, politically conservative, classically liberal content and others that are outside the realm of acceptable group thinking. Are these sites at risk of being denied service by Amazon? How does determining which website to host compare to which books to remove from Amazon platforms?
We would like to receive a response by March 9, 2021 at the latest. Thank you for your attention to this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
Mike Braun (R-IN)
Josh Hawley (R-MO)