By Joséphine Li
Two months after the intensified U.S. social crisis, American corporations are quickly lining up to pay lip service to the cause. Just like tech giants Google, Amazon, and Wish stated implicitly in favor of the principles of social and racial justice, a predictable expression of corporate solidarity with “The fight against systemic injustice and racism.”
But among its mega-tech peers, Amazon is arguably singular in its determination to provide American law enforcement with tools experts claim only enable racial uproar. In their rush to appear responsive to the rough contours of social justice—while keeping their public and legal relations, social media teams in agreement—some corporations seem to be forgetting what they are supposed to do.
Recently, there have been reports of Google, Amazon, and Wish featuring neo-Nazi and white-supremacist merchandise on their websites, including white-supremacist flags, neo-Nazi books, and Ku Klux Klan paraphernalia.
All three companies told the media that racist products were banned from their sites even though Amazon and Wish algorithms had recommended other white-supremacist items, encouraging and facilitating more hateful shopping.
‘Black-ish’ Star Marsai Martin Is Using Her Voice to End School Lunch Debt and Lunch Shaming
However, this is not the first time Amazon has been involved in an incident like this. Back in August 2018, Amazon was already reported by The New York Times for selling products featuring nazi symbols. Amazon took down items sold on its site by other retailers, including nazi patches and a baby onesie with jewelry emblazoned with Nazi swastikas and a burning-cross graphic, after lawmakers and nonprofits called attention to them.
According to the report, algorithms used by e-commerce sites Amazon and Wish would also suggest other white-supremacist products, including those of the far-right libertarian group in the U.S.—the Boogaloo movement. Several individuals have been linked to terrorist crimes and the assassination of state officials in the United States. As of today, all three platforms removed the Boogaloo content after being approached by the media.
Oren Segal, Vice President of the Center on Extremism of the anti-hate organization—Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said the companies need to monitor their algorithms’ recommendations continually. He also stated that the algorithms had to be taught to be responsible.
A white-supremacist flag featuring a Celtic Cross was among the items listed for sale on Amazon. The ADL said the graphic depicted on the flag was one of the most recognizable white-supremacist symbols.
The comments section is polarized. One shopper commented that this is a neo-Nazi flag, and Amazon should not be profiting from this. At the same time, another purchaser wrote down that the flag would be suitable for use in parades, and thanked Amazon for making it happen. To make things worse, Amazon’s algorithms recommended another controversial flag that purchasers had frequently bought together. The symbols on both flags were worn by the Christchurch gunman when he killed 51 people in 2019. Another merchandise featuring flaming rainbow flags—similar to the one used by the LGBT Community was also found on Amazon. The follow-up to the incident is that Amazon has now taken all of those products down in order to prevent the deterioration of the event.
The same goes for the online retailer Wish. Wish recommended “related items,” including a Celtic Cross and a white-supremacy-themed hood on their page for a KKK-themed cartoon. After being approached by the media, Wish also removed Ku Klux Klan-themed commodities on their platform. As for Google, they also took down offensive, racist content from its Google Play stores and Google Books.
Online algorithms can push shoppers toward hateful content. “It often takes human investigation to work out that people are being led down this path.” Said Josh Smith of Demos, who hopes to raise the public’s concerns.
All three parties to the incident have made their official statement: Amazon said that they have reviewed the products and content and removed the listings that were found in violation of Amazon’s policy. The commodities concerned are no longer on their website, and they have taken action on the bad actors who have sold the products — the account of the seller who was in breach of their policy has been permanently suspended. Google has clarified that it will not allow advertisements or products sold on its platforms that display offensive content or stir up hatred. They enforce these policies vigorously and take action when Google determines they are infringed. Wish told the press that they are making efforts to remove these items and taking further measures to avoid the reappearance of that merchandise.
