patrick.net

Amazon – as do others in the Big Tech club – wants to be seen as a private business like any other than can decide what to sell. But like much of Big Tech, Amazon’s actual status is dangerously close to that of a monopoly, currently dominating 83 percent of the book market.

As observers note, this means not only that existing books can be booted from the platform, seriously undermining their authors’ ability to reach an audience – in addition, publishers might start refusing to publish books they think Amazon will refuse to carry. ...

But recently, Discovery Institute’s political analyst John West told NTD-TV that Seattle – where the giant is headquartered – has a fairly unique law that prohibits discrimination based on political ideology. Not many other places in the US have similar legislation, West said, adding that it is part of the civil rights laws.

He has no doubt that anyone discriminated on political ideology grounds can sue Amazon, without needing to be a Seattle or Washington state resident.

What plaintiffs can hope to achieve is win punitive damages and attorney fees, as well as be granted injunctions, West said.

As for how everyone can try to bypass Amazon and hold it accountable, the company’s critics advise buying directly from publishers and supporting antitrust investigations.

Updated January 19, 2021

California’s laws against employer political activity retaliation, Labor Code 1101 and 1102 LC, prohibit employers from

setting any policy that prevents employees from engaging in political activity or running for political office, or that tries to control or direct employees’ political activity,
attempting to control employees’ political activities by threatening to engage in political activity retaliation, or
retaliating in any way (including through wrongful termination) against an employee for his/her political beliefs or activities.1
Examples of employees who might have a case against their employer for political activity workplace retaliation include:

A woman who is fired after she writes an op-ed for her local paper criticizing a candidate for office to whom her employer has been a large donor; and
A man who is demoted at work by his pro-choice boss after he joins the board of a nonprofit organization that opposes abortion and promotes pro-life advocacy.