Amazon succumbed to pressure from the United Arab Emirates and restricted searches related to domestic LGBTQ products.
Online retailers have blocked searches for more than 150 keywords such as “lgbtq” and “pride,” but have also restricted searches for certain books on gay and transgender issues.
A document leaked to the New York Times showed that the Emiratis government had either obeyed the order or had given Amazon until Friday to face the impact.
The company supports gay and transgender rights, but said it always adheres to the local laws of the countries in which it operates.
Amazon spent a lot of money building a business in the UAE and acquired Souq.com, the country’s largest online retailer, for $ 580 million (£ 478 million) in 2017.
Many other multinational tech giants are forced to compromise on the values they claim to support international business operations. In 2016, Apple removed a couple of lesbians from Mother’s Day ads in some markets, and in 2019, Netflix pulled out an episode of the comedy show Patriot Act in Saudi Arabia after criticizing the kingdom.
Same-sex relationships are illegal in the United Arab Emirates, and expressing support for LGBTQ rights can be a crime.
“As a company, we continue to work on diversity, equity and inclusiveness, and we believe we need to protect the rights of LGBTQ + people,” Amazon said.
“Amazon stores around the world must also comply with local laws and regulations in the countries in which they operate.”
Amazon has been blocked from participating in the Pride Parade last weekend in Seattle, where it is headquartered. Seattle Pride said it had decided not to work with the company because it made a donation to a US politician who supported the anti-LGBTQ law.
Amazon says it will continue to make political contributions even if it disagrees with the position of a politician.
Amazon recently closed its Kindle store in China. The company did not reveal the reason for the closure, but was under pressure from Beijing to remove negative reviews of books, including President Xi Jinping’s speeches and writings.