Scott Adams is a political commentator, author, and publisher. On Tuesday, he announced that Amazon had banned his book, “Reframe Your Brain” from its Kindle Direct Publishing platform. Adams, who is also the creator of the “Dilbert” comic strip, later informed his audience that the company had lifted the lifetime ban.
Adams has published a post on X, formerly Twitter, the social media platform.
This week, @AmazonKDP (the independent publisher’s platform at Amazon) banned me for good. Reframe Your Brain’s book launch may be delayed.
I have documents that prove my ownership. I never get a reply when I ask who they think owns the content.
I don’t really know what to say. I believe it is their AI system acting like a person. I cannot tell if it is the system, or something else.
.@AmazonKDP (for independent publishers) banned me for life this week, so my book launch for Reframe Your Brain might be delayed.
Their stated reason is that I don’t own my own content, although they have documents proving I do. I get no response when I ask who they think owns… pic.twitter.com/FCokGDITEj
— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) August 15, 2023
Adams gave an update Wednesday, explaining that the ban was reversed “without explanation”.
Update: Lifetime ban on me reversed today without explanation. Stay tuned.
— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) August 16, 2023
Amazon banned books in the past that challenged the official narrative about the COVID epidemic. Kenneth P. Green responded to Adams’s post.
Scott welcome to Amazon Rejection I was also rejected for my book “The Plague Of Models”. You can find it on Google Play Books and Barnes and Noble, among other distributors. Amazon is entitled to its antitrust investigation, IMHO.
Welcome to Rejection by Amazon, Scott! They refused my book, “The Plague of Models” as well. Mine is out on GooglePlay books, Barnes and Noble, and other distributors. Amazon is earning its anti-trust prosecution, IMHO. pic.twitter.com/EZhjgsrsle
— Kenneth P. Green (@EnvirodocKG) August 15, 2023
The author went on to say that his book was critical of “the models used to create Covid policy”, as well as “the models currently being used to set up climate policies”.
Criticizing the models that were used to set Covid policy, and are used to set climate policy are a significant part of the book. Amazon wouldn’t tell us the exact reasons for rejection, just threatened to ban my publisher entirely.
— Kenneth P. Green (@EnvirodocKG) August 15, 2023
Amazon has had a history of censoring content. Amazon’s censorship of its content is not new.
It’s notable that Adams’s book has absolutely nothing to do with LGBTQ, COVID, or politics. This book shows the reader how they can change their way of thinking and improve their life.
Reframe Your Brain contains Scott Adams’ most popular reframes. He will demonstrate how to apply them in different situations and go beyond the examples in his book.
So, what happened here?
Amazon may have made a mistake by banning Scott Adams. A left-leaning Amazon worker could have hated the author because he backed Trump.
It is also possible. You can also imagine that the company initially planned to ban Adams, but then changed its mind after the inevitable backlash.
Adams doesn’t know the exact reasons for his ban. If Amazon follows the example of other Big Tech companies that have banned, then reinstated, individuals with a conservative viewpoint, we may never learn the truth. However, this episode reminds us how powerful companies like Amazon are when it comes to influencing stories through the content they let us consume.
