In early 2021, the Biden White House engaged in communication with Amazon, urging the online retailer to curtail the distribution of books presenting vaccines in a negative light.
Amazon initiated measures to limit the visibility of such titles, responding to pressure from the administration. Internal emails from Amazon, furnished to the House Judiciary Committee in response to a subpoena, shed light on these interactions. They indicate that Andrew Slavitt, the White House senior adviser for Covid-19 response, perceived Amazon’s actions as perpetuating “misinformation” following a preliminary inquiry into vaccine-related content.
Slavitt expressed concerns about Amazon’s role in disseminating what he perceived as propaganda and misinformation regarding vaccines in an email dated March 2, 2021. He noted his observation that certain titles surfaced prominently when searching for “vaccines” under books, prompting apprehension about the information presented.
Initially, Amazon hesitated to implement censorship measures, citing apprehensions about the potential visibility of such actions and their potential amplification by conservative media outlets. In an internal email exchange among Amazon executives, the decision was made to refrain from manual intervention, with concerns raised about the potential short-term impact and the perceived sensitivity of the issue.
Before responding to Slavitt’s inquiry, Amazon deliberated on potential approaches. The company defended its practices, asserting that as a retailer, it operates differently from social media platforms.
It emphasized its role in providing customers with access to a diverse range of perspectives, including various viewpoints on vaccines, in line with its function as an online marketplace.
