Amazon Stops Selling Book On How To Game Amazon

from the free-speech-for-all...-except-if-we-don't-like-it dept

Remember Amazon's recent statement that:
"Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable."
The company quickly proved that wasn't the case and went back on its word with that book, and since then has taken down a number of other books it decided were objectionable. Apparently, one of the latest books it finds objectionable is one that explains how to game Amazon's ratings system. A guy, who figured out how to game the system that rates the popularity of Kindle books, wrote an ebook about his experience gaming Amazon's Kindle ratings. It was up for a while, until people started writing about it.. and then suddenly it disappeared. Apparently, Amazon's views on "censorship" are not quite as principled as the company made them out to be.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: books, censorship, gaming, kindle
Companies: amazon


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • icon
    The eejit (profile), 11 Jan 2011 @ 3:43pm

    HAHAHAHAHA!

    OH boy, this is just too funny! Amazon, Bastion of Free Speech(c), caugtht censoring negative stuff about them, just one month after defending a guidebook for paedophilia, then censoring Wikileaks?

    Warms the cockles of my heart, that does.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Kurata, 11 Jan 2011 @ 4:03pm

    While I don't agree with Amazon's doing, wouldn't this be a breach with their ToS, to fake reviews and ratings?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 11 Jan 2011 @ 4:28pm

      Re:

      Maybe someone else was selling a very similar book on how to game Amazon, and they wanted to avoid legal difficulties?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Designerfx (profile), 11 Jan 2011 @ 4:57pm

      Re:

      who's faking reviews and ratings?

      the book is a how to, it doesn't mean they're faking reviews and ratings by posting it.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Oliver Wendell Jones, 11 Jan 2011 @ 5:10pm

        Re: Re:

        The original story about this 'book' talked about how the author specifically was creating bogus Amazon accounts specifically to buy and review his own book in order to increase it's popularity.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    TSO, 11 Jan 2011 @ 4:33pm

    Mmm... free advertisement for the book on how to game Amazon's ratings system, brought to you by Streisand effect. Good job, Amazon!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 11 Jan 2011 @ 4:36pm

    It's only censorship...

    when someone else does it. Kind of also like, "it's only torture when someone else does it."

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 11 Jan 2011 @ 4:40pm

    Oh, is that all?

    As I understood it, post-embarrassment censorship was officially considered fair play now. All the big names are doing it.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    hmm, 11 Jan 2011 @ 4:46pm

    I didn't know

    I didn't know this book existed, but I guess I do now.

    OK, off to find someone selling it!!!!!!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 11 Jan 2011 @ 7:36pm

    Good idea: Read the book to learn how the gaming is done, and then improve your systems to render the book's techniques obsolete.

    Bad idea: Delete the book from your store and hope the information in it just goes away.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Pixelation, 11 Jan 2011 @ 10:34pm

    Answer

    ...but this one goes to eleven.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    starralex76, 12 Jan 2011 @ 12:50am

    ha

    I don't care about it. I never order a books trough the Amazon. Only CD/DVDs ;)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Andrew Foster (profile), 12 Jan 2011 @ 2:15am

    Amazon is still selling the book...

    Not sure if they've decided to reinstate it after the fuss, or if reports of it getting removed were just wrong in the first place, but the book definitely seems to be still, or back, on sale at Amazon...

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Day-the-Kindle-Died/dp/B004EYUICI/

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Jan 2011 @ 5:04am

    For a company bending over backwards for the US gov, didn't you expect them to be two-faced? Are any of you really surprised? Seriously?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Jan 2011 @ 7:04am

    Amazon on the s**t list.
    I am proud to say I bought nothing from Amazon last year.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Janie Smith (profile), 12 Jan 2011 @ 7:59pm

    Big cry babies

    I can hear weeping and wailing to violins playing in the distance.

    It's one rule for them, and another rule for "WE" the managment is it? Whatever way you look at it, it still comes off as Amazon having a giant dose of sour grapes...Cry me a river..Sob sob...Barf!!!

    Though it maybe of little worry to Amazon, I'm proud to say that I no longer buy from them, and at least ten of my friends have decided to ditch them too.

    This is what happens when you bend over and take it from the man, and Amazon are now left wondering many of us won't support them?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Timmy, 13 Jan 2011 @ 12:01am

    Not sure it's true

    Amazon.com is selling it. It's here. Ironically, it only has 1.5 stars rating. Either the author's gaming method is ineffective, or Amazon is counter-gaming.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    AplusTermPaper.com, 15 Feb 2011 @ 5:41am

    re

    Do you really think Amazon will suffer after that? I think it will be all right and any advertising is good.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Wonkie, 4 Nov 2014 @ 5:47am

    Free speech vs common sense

    Self-preservation is pretty fundamental for any business - why would one consider promoting a means to destroy oneself. Amazon is a business, not a guardian of human rights.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.