Amazon Stops Selling Book On How To Game Amazon

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

Tue, Jan 11th 2011 3:57pm — Mike Masnick

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.

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

23 Comments

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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.
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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?
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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?
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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!
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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."
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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.
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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!!!!!!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Pixelation, 11 Jan 2011 @ 10:34pm

Answer
...but this one goes to eleven.
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starralex76, 12 Jan 2011 @ 12:50am

ha
I don't care about it. I never order a books trough the Amazon. Only CD/DVDs ;)
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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/
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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?
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techflaws.org (profile), 12 Jan 2011 @ 5:44am

Re: ha
You still buy shiny plastic?
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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.
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Massimo, 12 Jan 2011 @ 10:05am

Re:
it's simply the truth! Never head about this book befor their censorship! ahah
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Jan 2011 @ 3:39pm

Re:
Ditto, except ever.
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ltlw0lf (profile), 12 Jan 2011 @ 4:09pm

Re: Re: ha
You still buy shiny plastic?

You still buy?

Hehehe...(I actually still buy stuff too...)
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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