Amazon CEO says company won't take down antisemitic film
Amazon CEO says company won't take down antisemitic film
AWS CEO Andy Jassy discusses a new initiative with the NFL during AWS re:Invent 2019 in Las Vegas, on Dec. 5, 2019. Amazon CEO Jassy said Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022, that the company does not have plans to stop selling the antisemitic film that gained notoriety recently after Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving tweeted out an Amazon link to it. (Isaac Brekken/AP Images for NFL, File)
NEW YORK -
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said Wednesday the company does not have plans to stop selling the antisemitic film that gained notoriety recently after Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving tweeted out an Amazon link to it.
Pressure has been mounting on Amazon to discontinue sale of the film, called "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America," since Irving shared the link to the documentary with his millions of Twitter followers in October. The synopsis on Amazon says the film "uncovers the true identity of the Children of Israel."
At The New York Times' DealBook Summit in New York City, Jassy said it is difficult for the company to determine what content crosses the line to where Amazon doesn't make it available to customers.
"As a retailer of content to hundreds of millions of customers with a lot of different viewpoints, we have to allow access to those viewpoints, even if they are objectionable – objectionable and they differ from our particular viewpoints," the Times quoted Jassy as saying.
He said making decisions about what content to take down is "more straight forward" in some cases, such as when it "actively incites or promotes violence, or teaches people to do things like pedophilia."
Dozens of celebrities, public figures as well as Jewish organizations and the Nets have called on the company to take down the film or add a disclaimer offering an explanation as to why the documentary and related book are problematic.
Amazon told the newspaper earlier this month that it would look into adding a disclaimer on the documentary's main page. But that hasn't happened.
The Seattle-based company did not reply to request for comment sent by The Associated Press earlier this month on whether it would add a disclaimer or not. Jassy, who is Jewish, said Wednesday that Amazon has employees that flag content, but scaling that more broadly could be challenging.
"The reality is that we have very expansive customer reviews," he said. "For books with a lot of attention – especially public attention – customers do a good job monitoring other people."
Irving was suspended by the Nets on Nov. 3 after he refused to issue the apology that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver sought for posting the link the film. He returned after issuing an apology more than two weeks later. He missed eight games.
The Bank of Canada hiked its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point Wednesday, bringing it to 4.5 per cent. Here's a look at what the rate means, how analysts are interpreting it and what it could mean for consumers.
The federal government's latest TFSA contribution limit increase took effect as of January 1, 2023. Personal finance contributor Christopher Liew outlines how the government’s most recent TFSA contribution limit increase affects you and how to make the most of it.
Finding an affordable place to live in the territories, where housing has long been a challenge, is getting even harder, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation suggested in a report released in December. In Yellowknife, the report said, the growing senior population, urbanization and strong labour market has pressured the housing supply.
Canada is suffering from a severe skills shortage in several key sectors, experts say, thanks to factors that include deficiencies in our education system as well as changing demographics. CTVNews.ca looks at some of the skills that will be most in-demand in 2023.
Bond portfolios took a beating in 2022 as interest rates climbed, but experts say investors shouldn't neglect bonds this year as the Bank of Canada nears the end of its rate hike cycle.
Canadian investors who made it through a tumultuous 2022 face further uncertainty in the year ahead amid increased recession risk. Investment professionals and personal finance experts say the easiest way to grow your money this year is to keep things simple.
In early 2020, 25.1 per cent of Canadians received $2,000 from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, according to Statistics Canada. In his latest column on CTVNews.ca, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew explains how repayment works.
AWS CEO Andy Jassy discusses a new initiative with the NFL during AWS re:Invent 2019 in Las Vegas, on Dec. 5, 2019. Amazon CEO Jassy said Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022, that the company does not have plans to stop selling the antisemitic film that gained notoriety recently after Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving tweeted out an Amazon link to it. (Isaac Brekken/AP Images for NFL, File)
