Quote:
Originally Posted by screwballl
Does it matter why? They are a private business where they have every right do allow or disallow anything they want within their own company. That is how ALL businesses are run. |
It does, because they are on the cusp of becoming a monopoly. I have previously stated that with great power comes great responsibility, and companies who are in the position of being or becoming a monopoly should be held to the highest standards. In Europe at least monopolies are strictly regulated, and that is because of the potential harm they can do.
If Amazon become a monopoly in ebooks then they have the power to control what you may or may not read. So this isn't as simple as saying so what, go somewhere else. What will you do when there is nowhere else to flee to ? What will you do when Amazon next decide that they might not like your preferred genre of reading and marginalize that and wipe it out ?
The point being that a corporation as powerful as Amazon should not be unilaterally able to decide what you and I can access. If they provide equal treatment to all, and lay out clear guidelines, then maybe fair enough, but right now they're doing no such thing.