Mark Lynas makes a complaint about what he describes as possible censorship related to the release of his new book The God Species. Apparently, it got pulled from Amazon.com in the UK. He writes:
The God Species withdrawn from Amazon – censorship?
Starting some time on Friday morning a strange note appeared on the Amazon.co.uk page selling The God Species paperback. This read that the book had been withdrawn from sale “because a customer recently told us that the item he or she received was not as described”. Since then Amazon has stopped selling the book, and despite attempts by my publisher to resolve the situation the book is still not on sale.
Screenshot:
and goes on to say:
I now understand that Amazon is likely to have removed the book from sale because its automated systems received a number of similar complaints about the book. So a relatively small number of people, perhaps as few as five, can conspire to get a new work taken off Amazon’s web site. Amazon says it will quickly examine whether the complaints are justified but in the meantime potential customers arriving at its web site will be told the book is unavailable. The book’s reputation will be damaged because of the natural assumption that there is indeed something wrong with it that obliges Amazon to remove it from sale. Even if Amazon puts the book back on Monday afternoon, damage has been done.
Well, maybe. The Streisand effect is now kicking in. For example, I was not aware of this new book until I received tips on it being “censored”. And, Lucia has now weighed in, uncritically. The Guardian has made an issue out of it too.
While Lynas has recently come to terms with his previous erroneous views on greens, Wow, Lynas tells it like it is. for which I applaud him, he is also known for doing outrageous things to get attention, such as doing a pie in the face to Bjørn Lomborg at his book signing for The Skeptical Environmentalist, a book that doesn’t seem to be that different from The God Species based on the description.
So, given Lynas past behavior, I can’t tell if what we are seeing is “censorship”, or if it is simply a cleverly staged faux takedown (easy to do anonymously online these days) to kick in The Streisand effect thus making thousands more people aware of his new book, and perhaps buy it later? People often want what they can’t have more than something they can get anywhere. What better way to boost sales than to make the book look taboo and then get media to start hollering about it as the New Statesman has done?
Right now, the Amazon UK website continues the restriction, and Amazon US website has no restrictions, and allows pre-orders.
So, as I said, given that Lynas in the past has tried to shut down Bjørn Lomborg’s book signing, a form of censorship itself, I can’t take his claims at face value. We’ll see how it plays out.
Hopefully, either way, Amazon will adjust their policy to prevent such problems in the future, no matter what the motive. Perhaps taking a “innocent until proven guilty” stance on product removal might be more productive.
Added clarification: For hardware, software, appliances, etc, I can see the point of such a policy to limit liability and damage to customers. But, we are talking about a book with the opinions of an author, and who offers a warranty with opinion? If we allowed such things, we’d have takedowns daily of newspaper articles worldwide where the catchy headline doesn’t quite match the body of the text.
Hopefully Amazon will implement a separate policy on book sales to prevent such problems and cries of censorship in the future.
h/t to Barry Woods
UPDATE: Within 6 hours of this posting, the restriction has been removed, so much for Mr. Lynas brief worry of “censorship” from Amazon.
OTOH, his website at http://www.marklynas.org/ now returns a “403 error” – forbidden, which checks out from two different networks and the three different browsers I have access to.
Strange.
– Anthony
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Perhaps taking a “innocent until proven guilty” stance on product removal might be more productive.
The problem with that is that you really open your customers to the possibility of fraudulent sales. Amazon is better to err on the side of the consumer, who are their end customers. Loads of people by from Amazon on the web because of the reputation that most of the goods are legit. It would make no sense to open the consumers to fraud to protect the vendors.
REPLY: For hardware, software, appliances, etc, yes that is a valid liability restriction policy, but for books with opinion? That’s my point and I’ll make it clearer in the text. – Anthony
Anonymous complaints are a great way to get state’s Child Protective Services agencies to harass your ex-spouse and gain custody of your children.
It would be nice to really know what’s going on, but I feel a wave of “don’t bother” beginning to sweep over me. Besides, I need to go grocery shopping.
I notice the US Amazon site notes Bill McKibben’s eaarth and James Lovelock’s GAIA are “also bought” items, so I guess UK readers have alternatives.
Amusingly, the page for THE GOD SPECIES (don’t people know how to capitalize titles any longer?) starts out with:
If that’s on the UK site, then the complainers might have a case!
[snip – fake email address @twitter.example.com is not a valid email address – see policy page]
The God Species is available in the U.S. as of 9am, pacific time, July 9 at Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/God-Species-Saving-Planet-Humans/dp/142620891X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310229332&sr=1-1
BUT….. it’s not availably until Nov 1, 2011??????????
REPLY: And now they can say “Banned in the UK, but soon to be available in the USA!” – Anthony
You can always go out to http://www.abe.com to go buy a book. They are an affiliation of booksellers. Many of them engage in OOP and overstocks, but many also list books currently in print. A reasonable place to check the asking price for antiquarian books too if you are going to bid on one at ebay.
it’s my understanding that only the government can censor books, movies, etc. Amazon should be able to control what they offer for sale.
I see no reason to doubt that perhaps just a few activist have taken exception to this book and maniuplated amazon. Mark has seriously annoyed some green/environmentalists in the uk
The same technique is often used by activist in say the Guardian comment section or the bbc, report abuse and the comment is removed.
I absolutely no reason to doubt Mark Lynas on this, having followed it before all the twittering/media stuff started.
As I explained in an email to Lucia, a few juvenile activist probably did it, it might only take half a dozen before automatic systems kicked in.
REPLY: Unfortunately, we may never know for sure. I doubt Amazon will reveal much about the investigation – Anthony
Looks like the “big sin” is being pro-Nuclear power.
If anything, the disaster at Fukashima shows that even when you F-up (foul up) incredibly, a lot of
natural processes limit the damage extent. (Unless you have a PROMPT CRITICAL event, as Cherynoble and you set your graphite moderated reactor on fire…something which NEVER happened before, oh WAIT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windscale_fire …oh well, it was only 25 years before Cherynoble, and not enough time to learn from it…as all the details were buried. (DANG, wrong again, it was completely published, “Court of Inquiry”, by 1962…)
Now let’s compare SO2, coal train auto collisions, mine disasters, etc. (Hum, BP and the Gulf of Mexico?)
I think it is all summed up best here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toG6aSQFF7Y
Warning: Possible error detected
From Amazon (US):
The God Species: Saving the Planet in the Age of Humans [Hardcover]
Not even out yet and already heavily discounted.
Other variants:
The God Species: How the Planet Can Survive the Age of Humans [Kindle Edition] [Paperback]
Publisher: Fourth Estate (July 7, 2011)
Possible error: Amazon US is accepting pre-orders on the NatGeo-published hardcover. Amazon UK has stopped selling the Fourth Estate-published softcover. The full titles are similar but not exact. It is not demonstrated that these are both the exact same book, same contents, just with different publishers.
And, as can be seen, Amazon US is currently involved in selling the one that Amazon UK stopped selling, directly with the Kindle version, and not accepting pre-orders as it’s already out.
As to the “censorship,” possibly someone mistakenly thought they were getting the nice NatGeo book but instead got the older “Fourth Estate” edition. Note Amazon US isn’t directly selling the “Fourth Estate” paperback for some reason, perhaps it’s no longer being printed.
If he hasn’t done so yet, he should make it available in Kindle here in the US, which can then be downloaded in the UK–not the same exactly, but a way around possible censorship.
Welcome to our world Mark. Not nice coming up against the armies of the night, is it?
Pointman
Well, as a UK resident, I’ve just successfully grabbed the free Kindle sample of “The God Species”, which includes the Introduction and first chapter, and I can see its “Buy now” button on the site.
Great publicity wheeze!
Sounds like the GREENS having some revenge on Marks recent BLASPHEMES!
Or could be as you state Anthony, and others a mistake in the book that is being promoted. I would rather it be the latter, but the one brain cell in the back is screaming the “FORMER”. The brain cell caps not mine. HA HA
I really can’t blame anybody for beiing somewhat cynical, new book launch, controversy, etc, etc !
Yet, as a Comparison… not long ago some activist in the uk, decided it would be a laugh to register a jamesdelingpole domain name and redirect it to http://www.realclimate.org.
James being a very sceptical journalist and Telegraph blogger
That guy turned out to be a researcher or the british Antartica survey!, if i remember correctly. Same sort of thing most probably happened here, as no author/publisher would run the risk of making !mazon look bad. Just a few indivduals manipulating Amazon in a juvenile way.
It does just highlight how intolerant some activists can be… his pro- nuclear stance most likely.
I totally agree very unlikely that Amazon will say anything, when they get round to going in to work Monday morning, in the UK, they’ll just disable the automatic block quietly….
I do hope that Amazon turn off this feature for new books by mainstream publishers, otherwise it may get tried on other books.
I think Kadaka has a line on it – it’s probably a “this is the wrong edition, I ordered the other one and they substituted it without asking” situation, not anything at all like a censorship problem.
Its odd the way religions are always far harder members seen to have become heretics than they ever are on those that never believed in the first place, Lynas is in the process of finding out first hand that its not enough to believe you most believe in the ‘right way’ and never stray from the path of ‘purity’.
Mark is a drama queen. His flip flopping is drama queen “all the way down”. This appears nothing more than a stunt – a pie to the face of book buyers.
Finally In stock ofter some tricks, don’t ask what ticks 😉
From Barry Woods on July 9, 2011 at 11:04 am:
Hmm, that gives me an idea… Drat, “Environmental Media Services” also registered the realclimate-dot-com and -net versions at the same time. But “reallyclimate.org” is available!
Anyone here know how to do a redirect?
Whatever the reason for this sales stoppage -it is no surprise that the Guardian and the new Statesman are wading in. They are not doing because they now heart Lynas again – they do it because this is a wonderful opportunity for them to clobber the evil corporate monopoly that is amazon dot co dot uk.
“Hopefully, either way, Amazon will adjust their policy to prevent such problems in the future, no matter what the motive. Perhaps taking a “innocent until proven guilty” stance on product removal might be more productive.”
Perhaps but Amazon is working in a country (the UK) that does not have the 1rst amendment. There may be no way for them to continue to stay in business while having an “innocent until proven guilty” stance.
My take away from this is not Amazon is a bad guy…it is happy 4th of July and thank god I live in America.
I’m afraid this kind of sabotage is not unique. Some people here might know about a Firefox add-on called “Web of Trust” where users can vote on whether or not a website is potentially dangerous, e.g. for installing malware or for being a scam.
However, one site which I have been visiting for years has suddenly been flagged up with a red danger warning. It is a blog hosted on wordpress and doesn’t sell anything. The only conclusion I could come to is that that the site concerns a controversial subject (not CAGW but just as heated) and takes a non-mainstream view.
When alerted that activists are almost certainly voting against the site simply because they don’t like what it says, Web of Trust simply shrug as if the fact that many people will be put off going to a legitimate site because of their add-on is of no concern.
Anyone using WOT or anything similar might be advised to vote their approval for any sites like this as a way of forestalling any sabotage attempt on anti-CAGW sites.
I’ll wait for it to pop up on eBay for 99p…
And now it appears (only appears) that Lynas’s website has been hacked. It could just be a server problem, but the timing is interesting.
Well!
Canibalism among activists is what we are experincing. Hard core anti nuclear Greepeace against luke greenies. From history we know these peolple are unable to reason or neogotiatiate.The fractions within the “Green” movement. Trotskist against leninists…. well we have seen it before.