Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg
However, the fact that Amazon freely operates in China, while Archive.org, Facebook, Google, and the New York Times are all blocked, suggests some questions to ask. I just searched Amazon.cn (their China site) for Jung Chang, a best-selling British author of books on modern Chinese history, who is critical of the government there, and nothing comes up:
http://www.amazon.cn/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...k%3AJung+Chang
I do think there is potential for Amazon to, over time, improve. One thing that might change my opinion of Amazon is if it used its technical expertise to push forbidden titles past censorship firewalls and into countries with significant freedom to read deficits, such as Russia, China, and some of those in the Middle East.
Amazon does not have a laser-like focus on profit. They can do this. |
Amazon do have a focus on profit. The difference is they reinvest that profit -- they have no focus on war chests.
I don't see Amazon picking a fight with e.g. China over moral reasons.
Unlike Google, which does have a culture of trying to show themselves as the good guys.
And very much unlike Archive.org, which is a nonprofit existing solely to preserve and provide access to knowledge, and are thus diametrically opposed to censorship!