So far, Amazon.com has refused to answer questions about why they succumbed to pressure from Sen. Joe Lieberman, and stopped hosting Wikileaks late yesterday. Talking Points Memo's Rachel Slajda writes:Amazon has not responded to requests for comment. Its terms of acceptable use include a ban on illegal activities (it's not yet clear whether Wikileaks has broken any laws) and content "that may be harmful to our users, operations, or reputation." It also prohibits using Amazon's servers "to violate the security or integrity of any network, computer or communications system," although Wikileaks obviously obtained the cables long before hopping on Amazon's servers.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that advocates for Internet freedom of speech by defending court cases, said the axing certainly doesn't violate the First Amendment. But it is, according to senior staff attorney Kevin Bankston, "disappointing."
"This certainly implicates First Amendment rights to the extent that web hosts may, based on direct or informal pressure, limit the materials the American public has a First Amendment right to access," Bankston told TPM.
TPM isn't the only news source seeking clarification from Amazon.com. But more effort might go at this point into wondering why Amazon.com isn't rushing to also terminate services to other web sites which probably have similar terms of use agreements as Wikileaks, such as the Washington Post and the Guardian (the entire list might fill pages) and that are also republishing material they got from Wikileaks.
Until Amazon.com explains fully why they've taken this action, you might think of doing your online business for the holidays elsewhere.
Pass the word.
11 comments:
Sorry, can't support you on this one, Phil. Espionage. Prosecute.
I'll gladly keep taking my business to Amazon.
One of those days i want to crawl in a hole. watching the comments on the fed audit over at the lake,the BS being slung about the wikileaks,The Shannon show with Keith+John Orono wow just wow. Thinkin about catfood recipes. And i don't by at Amazon anyway. Maybe walk down the street before dark an pick up a vat of wine. Might come in handy for the evenings read.
i got a box the other day... where do you get a vat?
Phil, sorry, cannot support you.
Yes, I just watched Parker-Spitzer. Kudos to Sen.Sanders. Hope to see the full expose in an article on how much Feds have been paying, to which companies, in dollars and cents, and some sense! We the taxpayers need to break!
note to commenters so far:
What we have seen so far is less than 1% of what Assange was given that he says he will release. This time. He has little control of how these releases are being managed by the MSM outlets providing what people are seeing.
Let's stand up for Hillary! Please go to Lou Dobbs site and vote NO on question whether she should resign. Thanks!
http://www.loudobbs.com/
I hear Wikileaks' next exposure will be the banking industry. How many people will freak out and be calling for Assange's blood then?
This is a 23-minute documentary shown on Australian TV in August - 'Inside Wikileaks'. It proves that Wikileaks operates in conjunction with the international news media.
http://vimeo.com/13809874
As for Amazon: a few weeks ago I closed my account and canceled my forward orders after they insisted on their right to carry "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure", a how-to for pedophiles.
Amazon sucks big-time.
Aussie Blue Sky,
WTF? Who published that piece of trash? That would be more than enough reason for me to cancel Amazon.
They have pulled the pedophile book off their site or so my search on the matter has concluded.
Anonymous, it took Amazon two weeks of boycotts, Facebook pages and Twitter-verse heat before they pulled this self-published piece of filth.
What will be next? My boycott stands. My business is going to Alibris.
I've canceled my account and will not do my Solstice season shopping with Amazon. There is nothing they could say which would justify their terribly unpatriotic decision to dump Wikileaks.
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