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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Does Amazon have the right to remove a book from its offerings?

By Allegra Taylor
YES

As a private retailer, the Constitution's First Amendment protects the right of Amazon or any retailer to choose which books or other media products it sells in the U.S.

Amazon’s published guidelines for books state that it may sell books that "some customers may find objectionable," and that it reserves the right not to sell "pornography or other inappropriate content.” The company doesn't offer further specifics, leading to occasional criticism from those who disagree with its decisions. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, told The New York Times in February that Amazon has the same rights as any retailer. “Despite its size, it does not have to sponsor speech it finds unacceptable.”

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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