Amazon Pulls a 'Ministry of Information' Move!

**Gannon** · September-30-09, 07:57 AM

Thought this one kinda funny, but in an awkward way during these skittish times.

Amazon pulled digital copies of George Orwell's 1984 and Animal House from their customer's Kindle readers due to copyright and distribution issues, among other books. As IF they couldn't come to some agreement with the holder of these rights, after all.

Effectively doing the SAME as a book-burning and elimination from publication these two very important works of fiction...

...the same action performed by Winston and his mates in the Ministry of Information in the story 1984. Revising history by eliminating the record of events and/or stories from general view.

It is dangerous to read Orwell now, specifically WHY I highly recommend it.

This is kinda like when MY Beautiful Paraguay in the Post-Apocalypse Springtime thread disappeared, I guess. [[among a few others)

Who do they think they're fooling? I still have hard copies around that I printed up...it might just be time to see if they'll delete it a THIRD time when I re-type it. Anyone game? It is a new administration, after all, y'all haven't lost HOPE now, have ya?!

New Boss CAN'T BE the SAME as the Old Boss, now, can he? He looks so, so..different! He's nice, and actually makes sense when his mouth moves, occasionally.

Yeah, I need some caffeine. Dosed WAY too much on it yesterday, I'm hurting.

Lorax · September-30-09, 09:35 AM

Thanks for starting this thread. I would love to see the Paraguay thread again. I think I contributed to it as well, if I remember correctly.

There is so much information on this subject. Was it pulled by DYes? Or did the feds get involved?

You know you're hitting a nerve when the Thought Police are pulling down internet content.

**jiminnm** · September-30-09, 11:01 AM

Gannon, I don't think that pulling ebook titles due to copyright violations approaches any form of censorship. If you really want a copy, there are 6,500 copies of 1984 ands 500 copies of Animal Farm print versions for sale on ebay [[many for a buck) and 400,000 on amazon. I didn't check alibris, abebooks and others, but I suspect that there are enough copies for those who want them.

**Gannon** · September-30-09, 01:24 PM

More to fall into the hands of those who haven't read it yet.

But to those trying to get the habit of electronic reading devices, saving trees and all...to THEM it most certainly was censorship. I'm amazed that Amazon couldn't find a solution otherwise, unless they were GOING for the pr.

But that wouldn't make sense, all it showed is that they have final say what stays on their devices, after those holding them THOUGHT they made a purchase. It doesn't matter if the monies were refunded.

I didn't say it was COMPLETE censorship...none ever ARE anyways...even if they get the flame to 451 degrees or higher!

Nah, it was just the curious connection that I clung to...

Cheers!

**Gannon** · September-30-09, 01:28 PM

Lorax,

We don't know WHO did the removal, but it wasn't Lowell.

Not a hint exists on the internet archives, either.

Of BOTH times I put it up.

But it still exists in the memories of those who participated in it, and those who read it.

And I have hard copies floating all around Metro Detroit.

Hell, when I found that World Catalog of Libraries listing of OSS/CIA maps that included those towns on a path to the Pyramids at Giza, in the midst of all the cities from the front pages of the news today...I knew it was juicy stuff. Those maps were made from 1942 to 1982, with one curiously drawn up at Yale, the very source of most of the assets in the shadow government...in 1952...of Offutt Air Force base...home now to Strategic Air Command!

Someday I hope to understand it all...but cannot without help from here.

Cheers!

**Jman** · September-30-09, 03:18 PM

"home now of the Strategic Air Command!"

I can't help you with the rest but I do know that the Strategic Air Command closed it's doors in 1992, unless you have some different information.

Lorax · September-30-09, 07:48 PM

My uncle, who is 90 now, flew SAC over Japan in WWII. He is spry and getting around just fine- perhaps he could have some insight?

**Jman** · September-30-09, 09:25 PM

Originally Posted by Lorax

My uncle, who is 90 now, flew SAC over Japan in WWII. He is spry and getting around just fine- perhaps he could have some insight?

Probably not as the Strategic Air Command was not formed until after WWII in 1946.

Lorax · September-30-09, 09:45 PM

He worked for SAC after the war, that's what he probably meant. He did fly bombing missions over Japan during the war, and recounts an incident when a bomb showed as activated when it shouldn't have, and they jettisoned it into the ocean, where it didn't explode.

**Detroitej72** · September-30-09, 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by Gannon

And I have hard copies floating all around Metro Detroit.

Be careful about what you speak of John, I fear you may be "visited" if you spill too much information around here.

ccbatson · October-01-09, 04:25 PM

They pulled it temporarily because it would have been a crime [[a legitimate crime, stealing) if they didn't.

**elganned** · October-01-09, 04:48 PM

NO! They pulled it because it was too close to the truth!! The Socialist Conspiracy wants to eliminate anything that even hints at its plan for World Domination!!! Obama delenda est!

ccbatson · October-01-09, 11:36 PM

And they rapidly put it back on the market because???

**elganned** · October-02-09, 12:03 AM

It was a ploy to lull us into thinking they aren't weaving their insidious and nefarious webs to censor our thoughts and ENSLAVE US ALL! Obama delenda est!!

**East Detroit** · October-02-09, 12:44 AM

Originally Posted by elganned

It was a ploy to lull us into thinking they aren't weaving their insidious and nefarious webs to censor our thoughts and ENSLAVE US ALL! Obama delenda est!!

No doubt, comrade, no doubt.

**sturge** · October-02-09, 08:40 AM

I believe it was Animal Farm, not Animal House [[thinking of the movie? hehe)

Anyway I remember taking a ton of crap in high school for reading it because everyone seemed to think it was a kiddy book. The cover didn't help either.

ccbatson · October-02-09, 11:34 PM

This thread is a nice exercise in how liberal reasoning is not based on rational or critical thought.

Lorax · October-03-09, 09:58 AM

Originally Posted by ccbatson

This thread is a nice exercise in how liberal reasoning is not based on rational or critical thought.

Or how fascist reasoning isn't based on thinking at all.

ccbatson · October-03-09, 11:35 PM

2 problems with that statement. First, fascism is an ideology and product of thought...second, you don't know what fascism is.

**Meddle** · October-04-09, 04:14 AM

Amazon settles Kindle lawsuit over "1984" copy

Fri Oct 2, 2009 3:58pm EDT

By Alexandria Sage

SAN FRANCISCO [[Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc has settled for $150,000 a lawsuit brought by a high school student and another consumer who claimed the online retailer illegally deleted from their Kindle devices digital copies of George Orwell's "1984."

The settlement, filed September 25, revealed that Amazon in September offered consumers whose books had been deleted a new free digital copy as well as $30.

The lawsuit was initially filed in July in U.S. District Court in Seattle and sought class-action status. It claimed Amazon did not have the right to delete digital content that had been purchased by consumers for use on their Kindles, the electronic reading devices made by Amazon.

This summer, Amazon acknowledged it deleted certain purchased e-books from the Kindles of some of its customers after learning that a third party who had posted the books did not have the legal rights to do so.

The reimbursement made it unlikely for a judge to certify a class-action, the plaintiffs said in the settlement.

Under terms of the settlement, Amazon will not delete such works unless the consumer agrees, unless a refund is requested or unless the work contains some harmful embedded code that would hurt operation of the Kindle.

Seattle-based Amazon will pay the plaintiffs' lawyers a fee of $150,000 to be donated to "a charitable organization that promotes literacy, children's issues, secondary or post- secondary education, health or job placement," according to the settlement.

[[Reporting by Alexandria Sage; editing by Andre Grenon)

http://www.reuters.com/article/techn...59151X20091002

Ravine · October-04-09, 05:00 AM

I completely fail to see how a company that sells numerous editions of a book can be accused of any kind of nefarious, "Ministry of Information" censorship merely because they pull the book from one of their product lines. C'mon.

**Meddle** · October-04-09, 06:10 AM

They didn't just pull it from their product line. They reached into Kindle devices and deleted files remotely from users that had already purchased and received it. It was sort of like coming to your house in the middle of the night and retrieving mail off your kitchen table that they had sent.

Ravine · October-04-09, 06:16 AM

Well, OK; they deleted a file which contained the book. I understand the idea.
My point is that the initial assertion, which implied that they were involved in "disappearing" the book from literary history, was absurd and melodramatic.