AMAZON RESTRICTS LGBTQ PRODUCTS IN UAE

  • 01/07/2022

Abu Dhabi: Amazon has restricted products and search results linked to LGBTQ people and concerns on its website in the United Arab Emirates. 


According to the reports, the Emirati government gave Amazon until Friday to comply or face penalties. The nature of the punishment was unknown. According to the State Department, homosexuality is a crime in the Emirates, punishable by fines and imprisonment.

Amazon's product limits in the UAE demonstrate the compromises that digital corporations are ready to make in order to operate in repressive countries, even when they claim to be staunch supporters of free expression in their home country. Netflix has withdrawn shows from Saudi Arabia and restricted sequences in Vietnam, Apple has maintained consumer data on Chinese servers despite privacy concerns, and Google withdrew an app for a Russian opposition leader last year after fearing prosecution in Russia.

According to the document, after hearing from the Emirates, Amazon's Restricted Products team took measures to delete specific product listings, and a team that handles the company's search capabilities suppressed the results for more than 150 terms. 

The targeted search terms ranged widely. Some were broad, such as “lgbtq,” “pride” and “closeted gay,” while others indicated intentional product searches, including “transgender flag,” “queer brooch,” “chest binder for lesbians” and “lgbtq iphone case.” All of those terms returned “no results” when The Times tried queries on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Several specific book titles were blocked, including “My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness,” by Nagata Kabi; “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” by Maia Kobabe; and Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist.” All are available in print and digital formats on Amazon’s website in the United States. 

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