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AmazonFAIL--It's Not Over Yet
Apr. 14th, 2009 11:01 amOkay. As I read through the AmazonFail news today, I find that I am willing to believe, for now, that the widespread de-rankings and de-listings that occured over the weekend were an accident. Even if the accident didn't happen the way Amazon claims, even if it was another kind of screw-up or outside malice, I can accept that Amazon did not consciously intend to target gay and lesbian books, or books on sexuality and feminism. They screwed up, and they are fixing the problem. Fair enough.
This does not, however, resolve the issue of why this could happen in the first place. If Amazon did not already have their adult filter in place, this would not have happened. This debacle has, at least, called attention to the fact that, for months, Amazon has apparently been quietly filtering searches without the knowledge or consent of its customers. It has also brought to light the fact that the filters aren't even working properly, that when books fall onto the "adult" list there appear to be few checks and balances to prevent books from being improperly categorized and de-ranked.
So, while I'm currently willing to accept that the widespread de-ranking was a genuine error, I am still infuriated by the very existence of the de-ranking policy. I'm outraged that Amazon has been shunting me away from material that they, and not I, feel is too "adult" for me to read. I am an adult. I should be able to browse their store unfiltered, and more to the point, Amazon should have told me.
Today, I spoke to an Amazon customer service representative, and asked about the adult filter. I explained that my issue was not primarily with the blanket de-ranking, that I accepted that it was an unintended outcome, but that I was extremely concerned that Amazon was filtering adult content in the first place. Even worse, that they were filtering without telling me, as a customer, that they were filtering my searches. I said that I was very angry that I wasn't getting all the available material and that Amazon has been making reading choice for me without my knowledge. I also told her that I understand why Amazon felt the need to filter searches, but I was very upset that there was no way for me, as an adult, to not be subject to that filtering, to be considered an adult. I asked if the filtering policy was going to continue, and she couldn't really answer that, but my impression was that there were, at least, no plans to discontinue the policy. I then said that I wanted an opt-out (or opt-in) button for the filtering, or for the filtering to stop, otherwise I would not be able to continue as a customer.
She said that there appears to be no way to turn said filter on or off, but she also said that she would research the issue and get back to me via e-mail in a couple of days. We'll see what happens once Amazon has figured out the party line on the adult searches.
This does not, however, resolve the issue of why this could happen in the first place. If Amazon did not already have their adult filter in place, this would not have happened. This debacle has, at least, called attention to the fact that, for months, Amazon has apparently been quietly filtering searches without the knowledge or consent of its customers. It has also brought to light the fact that the filters aren't even working properly, that when books fall onto the "adult" list there appear to be few checks and balances to prevent books from being improperly categorized and de-ranked.
So, while I'm currently willing to accept that the widespread de-ranking was a genuine error, I am still infuriated by the very existence of the de-ranking policy. I'm outraged that Amazon has been shunting me away from material that they, and not I, feel is too "adult" for me to read. I am an adult. I should be able to browse their store unfiltered, and more to the point, Amazon should have told me.
Today, I spoke to an Amazon customer service representative, and asked about the adult filter. I explained that my issue was not primarily with the blanket de-ranking, that I accepted that it was an unintended outcome, but that I was extremely concerned that Amazon was filtering adult content in the first place. Even worse, that they were filtering without telling me, as a customer, that they were filtering my searches. I said that I was very angry that I wasn't getting all the available material and that Amazon has been making reading choice for me without my knowledge. I also told her that I understand why Amazon felt the need to filter searches, but I was very upset that there was no way for me, as an adult, to not be subject to that filtering, to be considered an adult. I asked if the filtering policy was going to continue, and she couldn't really answer that, but my impression was that there were, at least, no plans to discontinue the policy. I then said that I wanted an opt-out (or opt-in) button for the filtering, or for the filtering to stop, otherwise I would not be able to continue as a customer.
She said that there appears to be no way to turn said filter on or off, but she also said that she would research the issue and get back to me via e-mail in a couple of days. We'll see what happens once Amazon has figured out the party line on the adult searches.