January 26, 2023
Due to the presence of anti-Semitic material, the Dutch online bookseller bol.com has removed hundreds of volumes from its overall inventory of tens of millions of books since October 2022.
Unfortunately, books containing anti-Semitic themes are still available to buy in today’s society. And because more and more individuals are buying things through web shops and other online platforms, an innovative strategy is required to counteract the online sale of anti-Semitic content.
As a result, the National Coordinator for Combating Anti-Semitism (NCAB) is launching an initiative for a better and more efficient approach for web shops and online platforms to exclude anti-Semitic content from their assortment. This initiative is titled “Excluding Anti-Semitic Content from Online Shops and Platforms.” Bol.com is a partner in this campaign and has announced its vision and strategy (which can only be found in the Dutch language) for combating discriminatory literature. By doing so, the NCAB and bol.com hope to pique the interest of additional businesses in the Netherlands that work with issues that are analogous to their own in order to facilitate the sharing of information and experiences as well as the development of productive roadmaps for improving the ability to identify books that contain potentially harmful content.
The evaluation structure used by Bol.com for books
Because bol.com is a store that sells items that may be used by anyone, it is important that anyone who visits the site does not feel uncomfortable. It is consequently possible to remove from the platform of bol.com any articles, including books, that inspire hatred, violence, or unjust treatment of others. At the same time, bol.com wishes to approach the issue of freedom of expression thoughtfully and, as a result, recognises the educational and historical significance of books.
Due to the fact that bol.com is not a content expert on the subjects that are covered in books, the company has sought advice from discussions with professionals in the field, such as the Dutch Meldpunt Discriminatie (Report Discrimination), in order to establish what may be considered offensive, discriminatory, or anti-Semitic.
The approach enables bol.com to evaluate books that promote discrimination. On the basis of a detection, evaluation, and reporting system, bol.com decides whether or not a book should continue to be accessible online, be assigned an information label, or be removed entirely.
Evaluation both proactively and reactively
The existing collection of tens of millions of books is supplemented with thousands of brand-new books being added to bol.com on a weekly basis via an automated uploading process. The new books are now subjected to proactive reviews, while bol.com makes use of its review architecture in a reactive manner, in response to notifications received, for instance, from customers or workers.
Bol.com is continuing to build these technologies and is taking steps to handle the problems that are involved, such as collecting expertise on titles and writers and negotiating arrangements with publishers and suppliers. In addition, Bol.com is working to improve its user experience. In addition, bol.com continues to engage in conversations with industry professionals in order to seek guidance from them on a variety of societal issues. This is done with the goal of continuing to make well-informed judgements in the future.
June 30, 2022
