Does Amazon have the right to remove a book from its offerings?
As a private retailer, the Constitution's First Amendment protects the right of Amazon or any retailer to choose which books or other media products it sells in the U.S.
Amazon’s published guidelines for books state that it may sell books that "some customers may find objectionable," and that it reserves the right not to sell "pornography or other inappropriate content.” The company doesn't offer further specifics, leading to occasional criticism from those who disagree with its decisions. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, told The New York Times in February that Amazon has the same rights as any retailer. “Despite its size, it does not have to sponsor speech it finds unacceptable.”
