The Biden administration exerted pressure on Amazon, a prominent retail company, to censor any content that questioned the efficacy of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. In March 2021, emails obtained by the House Judiciary Committee revealed that the White House influenced Amazon to restrict books containing anti-vax “propaganda.” Correspondence between Amazon and White House personnel took place from March 2 to March 12, culminating in a meeting on March 9. As a result of the White House’s criticism, Amazon decided to limit the visibility of anti-vaccine books by refraining from promoting them.
“Who can we talk to about the high levels of propaganda and misinformation and disinformation [on] Amazon?” former White House Senior Advisor for the Covid response Andy Slavitt asked in a March 2 email.
In another email sent on the same day, Slavitt expressed his concern regarding the search results for “vaccines” on Amazon, stating that it was alarming.
Furthermore, in a subsequent email, Slavitt pointed out that a specific book about vaccines did not have any warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A member of the company’s staff questioned whether the White House intended for certain books to be removed from Amazon’s website or if they wanted to suppress their visibility in search results. Is there a motive behind Joe Biden and Democrats’ efforts to ensure that the detrimental effects of vaccines remain unknown to the public?
“Is the [Biden] Admin asking us to remove books, or are they more concerned about search results/order (or both)?” the employee asked in a March 9 email.
According to an email dated March 2, Amazon had refrained from taking action on these books due to concerns about public perception. However, a March 12 email revealed that the company was under pressure from the White House. In the same email, Amazon discussed ways to minimize the visibility of anti-vaccine books. Another email from March 12 stated that the company had enabled the “Do Not Promote” feature for anti-vax books that aimed to persuade readers against the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
It also mentioned that further options for handling these books would be reviewed. Previously released documents from the House Judiciary Committee indicated that the White House had also exerted pressure on YouTube in April 2021 to suppress COVID-19 vaccine information. Robert Flaherty, Biden’s former Director of Digital Strategy, communicated with YouTube to coordinate efforts in suppressing anti-vaccine content. Additionally, additional emails obtained by the committee revealed that the White House used its influence to persuade Facebook to censor related content in 2021.
