# Amazon Selling Kiddie Porn



## davmon

Hi all -

It came to my attention today through one of my yahoo groups that Amazon is apparently selling child porn under the guise of 'art films'. If you do a search on "Gym Boys" or "Little Warriors" you'll be directed to two 'films' that are clearly marketed to pedophilia's; link on the distributors site - Baikal Films - and you'll be convinced this is a pretty gross operation. These aren't coming of age films or anything like that - they are (very) thinly disguised films showing partially or fully nude boys meant to excite sickos.

I've sent an email to Amazon, 60 Minutes and both of my Senators ... Let's see if we can't make enough noise to shut this down.

And of course I won't be buying anything from Amazon again ...

Mona


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## JamesMama

This post contains information that may be sensitive in nature. Please take care to protect those around you when you read it.

This was posted on another board, apparently Amazon.com has movies that border on child pornography, the titles are disgusting and scary. I for one won't be buying off of Amazon.com or BRU/TRU.

http://blamemama.blogs.com/child_po...5/11/index.html


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## niblet

hey, what happened to the blamemama.com link? it's gone.....


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## davmon

here you go ...

http://blamemama.blogs.com/child_porn_on_amazon/


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## rmzbm

O.M.G.


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## Tinas3muskateers

If you google Baikal Films it is obviously porn, that is really sad!


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## BookGoddess

Amazon is losing this valuable customer. I'm going to be emailing them.


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## RedWine




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## Goddess3_2005

: This is horrible and disgusting! I emailed them.


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## zrhmom

oh my god i think i may vommit. i have aa 4 year old son, i cant immagine... this is so sick. i will never buy anything from amazon how can they be getting away with this?im so glad you let us all know. im telling everyone i know about this.


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## JamesMama

I've called my local NBC, CBS, and ABC stations and alerted them, I'll email them the blog link as well. They all said they would look into it.


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## davmon

As I said in my first post I emailed my senators (and 60 Minutes and Amazon) and then I followed up with a phone call to their state and Washington offices and made sure I spoke with a person each time ...

it still gets me so disgusted and angry to think about this!!

Mona


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## Alana

It has recently been discovered that Amazon.com has been selling videos that are marketed as "documentaries" and clearly geared towards pedophiles or "boy lovers." A mother was searching for gymnastics videos for her young son when she came upon this startling discovery. You can read her story on her blog at: http://blamemama.blogs.com/child_por.../11/index.html

Titles include: Gym Boys, Little Warriors go to Summer Camp and others. They canbe found by searching Amazon.com, or click here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...video&n=507846 (you may have to cut and paste the link if it is "broken" because it wraps to a second line).

These titles are labeled as "documentaries", but review the user comments and you will see things such as: "You will love these boys, both pre-teen and adolescents practice for gymnastics. Gym Boys has good character development and it left me feeling as if I know these boys personally. All areas of gymnastics are covered, with interviews of the featured boys. The film has lots of replayability if you love boys."

If these are "documentaries," why does the filmmaker ship them in plain white wrappers? No one should be ashamed to receive a documentary shipped to them - unless it's not really a documentary at all.

These films are exploiting children, and by allowing them to remain for sale on their web site, Amazon.com is contributing to a very serious problem. According to Crime-Research.org: "80% of those child pornography purchasers are active child molesters. Child pornographers usually range in age within 10-65... 70% of convicted sex offenders use the Internet." Amazon.com is only enabling these criminals to fulfill their perverted needs and hurting children and families in the process.

Amazon.com has been confronted about the issue and has stated that "....our goal is to provide customers with the broadest selection possible so they can find, discover, and buy any item they might be seeking. That selection includes some items which many people may find objectionable.... Amazon.com believes it is censorship not to sell certain titles because we believe their message is objectionable.... we will continue to make controversial works available ..... except where they are prohibited by law."

HOw can we make Amazon.com understand that this is NOT an issue of "providing broad sleection" whether they are or are not technically legal. It's an issue of one of the largest Internet retailers allowing this to go on and perpetuate a very serious problem. It is distasteful and only shows that it's about money - not moral obligations.

What can you do? Contact Amazon.com (see the end of this email with complete contact info). Contact your local media. Some parents have been contacting Oprah ( http://www2.oprah.com/email/reach/em...ch_fromu.jhtml ). Sign the petition that will be delivered to Amazon.com ( http://www.petitiononline.com/cmoms/petition.html ). And most importantly, do NOT patronize Amazon.com or it's affiliates. Know affiliates are:

Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.de
PlanetAll
Internet Movie Database
LiveBid.com
drugstore.com
Pets.com
HomeGrocer.com
Gear.com
ToysRUs.com
BabiesRUs.com

AMAZON CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBERS

US Customer Service
Phone toll-free in the US and Canada: (800) 201-7575
Phone from outside the US and Canada: (206) 346-2992 or (206)-266-2992
Another direct line: (206) 266-2335
E-mail: [email protected] (I think this will still work, but no guarantees)

E-mail address and the fax numbers seem to go on- and off-line with some regularity. Readers have also had luck with the following addresses:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
(This last e-mail address sends back an note from Amazon that using it won't help you. There may be nobody reading the e-mail that comes to this address.)

Amazon's rebate center: 1-866-348-2492
Amazon Corporate Accounts:1-866-486-2360

Snail mail to customer service
Amazon.com, Inc.
PO Box 81226
Seattle, WA 98108-1226


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## ruthieroo

davmom, thank you for alerting us to this and alana, thank you for the post with all the info in!

I don't normally frequent this part of MDC but this caught my attention. How utterly disgusting! I am from the US but am now living in Australia and I have still ordered from Amazon over here. But I certainly won't be that loyal customer anymore. This is outrageous. The other thing that I really don't understand, and maybe some of you experienced activists can help me, is how people can NOT care about this? I mean, isn't it pretty clear what is going on? I will be honest that I rarely jump on the boycott bandwagon because often it seems like so much effort to dig through to find facts and not propaganda, etc. Admittedly I am lazy and should remedy that.







But for something like this...it doesn't take a genius to see how wrong it is. It is also very easy to transfer your loyalties elsewhere. The internet is a big place. And yet when I've passed this info on to people I've gotten, "Ho hum, yeah that's kinda sick but there is good stuff on Amazon, too..." or "I won't pass judgement on Amazon with out knowing the whole story." Um...!? Just makes me even sadder.


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## Tinas3muskateers

I emailed Oprah. If anyone can put this in the public eye its her.


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## willow83

I emailed oprah too, this is just terrible that these sicko's can find stuff like this on a site like amazon! I hope oprah reads this.


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## rgh3angel

I believe it's Borders.com and not B&N that's affiliated with Amazon.
Also, Target has a link through Amazon.
This is disgusting


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## Alana

I just got an email back from one of our newschannels investigative reporters. He asked for more info and that they will be looking into it.


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## rorysgirl1

this material is a violation of federal law if it's truly kiddie porn (i was actually looking for something else really quickly and stumbled across this post and don't have time to go look). if everyone calls their local fbi office and asks for the duty agent and complains about this,i should think it would get a pretty quick response. i'll do that here later on today.


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## MelanieMC

This is obviously kiddie porn. I went to the website and searched one of the titles listed. I noticed that for each movie listed, plus many more movies and books, some guy named William did a review. I clicked on his name to read all of the reviews he's done and they are sick! Every single dvd/book he has reviewed is about young boys, and for the movies he lists and describes the nudity and sex scenes in them. This guy is a sicko and it proves that this crap is kiddie porn. I'm totally boycotting amazon and am going to write them a letter! This makes me sick! uke


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## mama_kass

I went to look at the links provided. It does make me sad. It was obvious to me that these movies are used by child pornographers. I don't know what the laws are for distinguishing child porn. It doesn't appear that these movies have nudity or anything like that and the website does not say these videos are designed for pedaphilles. What would a video have to say, or show to be breaking the law?


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## davmon

"if everyone calls their local fbi office and asks for the duty agent and complains about this,i should think it would get a pretty quick response. i'll do that here later on today."

sorry - I don't know how to do an actual quote









great idea though - I just called my local field office and the woman directed me to the FBI Internet Fraud Site which handles these types of complaints.
web site address: ifccfbi.gov
note there's no www. or anything in front of the addy.

Once you're at the site it'll walk you through the complaint process - I say we all post following the logic that the squeaky wheel ....

Mona


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## zrhmom

thanks for putting all the info up, and thanks for alerting everyone. im sick over this, i just dont see how they can get away with it! i emaild oprah and i will call the fbi today also. i hope we can make a difference here. i cant believe how many absolutly disgusting movie reviews i read, how can they even begin to say its a documentry? i still just dont even see how this can be freakin happing, it is so infuriating.







: i just dont know what the hell is the matter with people.


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## rorysgirl1

i've contacted the hq office for "innocent images" (the project for prosecuting child pornography) and made them aware of this. needless to say, they were quite interested.


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## rorysgirl1

and for anyone who is interested, the federal statutory authority for prosecuting child pornography is found at title 18 us code 2251 and following. transportation, production, and distribution, as well as possession, are illegal so long as there is an interstate nexus. i think most commonly used is section 2252A(4).


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## fiveredhens

I just got off of the phone with a woman from Amazon.com. Not only am I a mother of a young boy, I am also about to finish my PhD in child clinical psychology. I explained to her that Amazon.com and all of their subsidiaries were about to have a massive boycott by mothers and child psychologists/teachers, etc from all over the world unless they pulled all materials from Baikal Films. She said that she was not aware of these items being sold on Amazon and was shocked and offended herself after reading the reviews. She took down all of the information and said that they would be investigating this. She asked me if there was anything she could do and I told to her she could IMMEDIATELY suspend sales of the offending items until after the investigation. I asked her which was more important and who spends more money, their pedophile clients, or the mothers. I think she got the message, however she said it might be a few days before anything could be done. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, I am forwarding all of this information on to everyone I know as a mother, professional psychologist, and wife of DH who works in the field of education.


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## KaraBoo

Are the movies made by a porno company? Is amazon selling movies made by pornographers? Or is amazon selling movies that porno companies recommend to people that like kiddie porn? Are the reviews the problem or the movies themselves?

I'm trying to figure this out, bear with me.


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## fiveredhens

Both the movies and the reviews are a problem.

The movies are a problem because they are meant to be erotic/pornographic and feature children.

The reviews are also a problem. Specifically, the reviews by Baikal Films in which it is recommended that the buyer not purchase the VHS from Amazon, but instea get the "full feature" DVD direct from the company. Click on the limk to see all the reviews http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-...666414-5729633 or if it breaks, do a search for the profile Baikal Films and you will see that they are using Amazon.com to advertise their more explicit versions on DVD.


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## Alana

I actually went to Baikal's website...and it was SICK.







:







:







I have never boycotted anything...ever. But I just cancelled an order for several hundred dollars worth of books that I had just placed a few days ago. I emailed them and told them why I cancelled my order and will not return as a customer until those videos are gone.


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## Artisan

Ugh... this is sickening. My SIL works with Innocent Images for the FBI. I am definitely going to do what I can to get this taken care of.


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## Jen123

I went to the website and found some very interesting things.

First off... I thought I had the wrong site. It was just a bunch of Ukranian naturist (read Nudist) documentaries. Not my cup of tea , but certainly not pornographic.

Then I checked their legal info...they had to say this : EDIT: wanted to add that the capital letters in the quote came from the website and are not mine.

Quote:

* Our naturist titles contain nudity of adults and children. We do not sell nor condone the sale of child pornography.
* We do not cater to, encourage, or seek out people who have an interest in nude children out of the context of naturism.
* We discourage the focusing of attention on children who are not engaged in the naturist lifestyle.
* Movies of authentic naturism are not obscene, lewd, sexually oriented, lascivious, or pornographic.
* WE HAVE NO PORNOGRAPHY, OBSCENE MATERIAL, LEWD MATERIAL, LASCIVIOUS EXHIBITION OF THE GENITALS, PRURIENT CONDUCT, VULGARITY, OR CLOSE-UPS OF BODY PARTS.
* There is no posing for the camera.
* We do not encourage, support, or take responsibility for individuals or groups who have a pedophilic/voyeuristic interest. We DO NOT advertise in newsgroups (legal or not), SPAM email, or other websites.
* We have NO association whatsoever with such groups or persons.
* We will not sell to people who show sexual interests. We reserve the right to deny sale to anyone.
* We do not, nor do we intend to, cater to those with a particular interest in nude children outside of the context of nudism and that of this website. Your correspondence shows such an interest we will not deal with you and your email will be ignored.
* These films are not "adult", sexually oriented (R) or (X) Videos. You do not have to be 21 or older to order.
* Participants, and where applicable parents and/or guardians, had full knowledge of video cameras filming their activities and were willing contributors.
Basically saying they know pedophiles view their stuff but it isn't their problem. (gag)

Then I went to shipping information...I bolded what really made my stomach turn.

Quote:

#T he information we collect is to complete the transaction. Your information will not be sold, rented, or given to anyone. You will never be put on a mailing list, and you will only receive an email from us to confirm an order or delivery. *Once the transaction is finalized, your information is destroyed*
# Our SSL server for credit card transactions features 128 bit encryption. Not sure? Just look for the "Lock" in the bottom right-hand corner of your browser!
# There are no third-party billing agents here.
# *Each item is sent in an unmarked, bubble protective envelope.*
So if they have nothing to hide why are they doing that ? One of their products really caught my eye...the description contradicts itself...the first part is fine..it's the second part...

Quote:

Original youth sports documentaries from Ukraine and Russia. Full version releases, all new and all original. Filmed in some of the elite Russian sports schools attended my many great current and former Olympian athletes. A true and candid up-close look at athletic boys aged 7 to 14 who are among some of Ukraine's and Russia's next superstar athletes. These films contain no sexual activity and comply with USC Title 18 Part 1 Chapter 110 Section 2256 and CCC Section 163.1(1). Shipped discreetly for even the most private of individuals!
EWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So if it is _just_ a film about up and coming athletes..why does it specify it doesn't contain sex...and it's shipped discreetly??? ewwww.


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## Jenifer76

Thank you for the information! I wish I had read this a few days ago before I placed my order from TRU (which uses Amazon). I am passing this information along to people.


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## Aeress

I used to check amazon for everything...not anymore! keep us informed and I plan to write a letter!


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## Artisan

Here is the Amazon "contact us" page. http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contac...389530-3946202 *NOTE: If you can't get the Amazon links to work, go to www.amazon.com and do a search for one of the titles.*

And here is a sample letter if you are so inclined:

Dear Sir or Madam,

It has come to my attention that amazon.com currently carries an array of videos marketed to pedophiles that fall under the category of child pornography. The videos are made by Baikal Films and are titles such as "Gym Boys," "Little Warriors Go to Summer Camp," and "The Genesis Children." They can be viewed here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...v=glance&s=dvd

If you spend a few moments reading the reviews of these videos, you will see that they are full of both sexual innuendo and graphic sexual language. If you do a further search into Baikal films, you will find these same videos with far more graphic descriptions on their website at www.baikalfilms.com.

I am a whole-hearted believer in freedom of speech and do not wish for Amazon to censor the materials they sell to fit my belief system. However, these videos are clearly in violation of federal law. If Amazon is found to be complicit in the distribution of child pornography, the consequences could be disastrous both in terms of legal consequences and customer backlash.

I am a loyal Amazon customer. But I cannot in good conscience stand by while children are exploited. I am forwarding this information to my friends and family, and I am asking you to immediately pull these videos off the shelves and turn them over to federal authorities.

Sincerely,


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## Tofu the Geek

It looks to me like they are using Amazon as a way to introduce people to their sick films in hopes that they will buy the full uncut versions from their web site. Even if the Amazon versions are edited, they really should not associate themselves with the company who obviously has more "vivid" versions available! uke


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## tealee

Interestingly, I could not find these videos for sale on Amazon.ca (the Canadian outlet). Makes me wonder if Amazon is more aware of what they are selling than they are letting on as Canadian law regarding kiddie porn are more far reaching than in the US.


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## BookGoddess

I emailed Amazon and I notified my close friends and family.


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## BabyOsMommy

I've emailed using reader's suggested sample (thank you, reader - I've no brain cells to compose my own today). I'm Canadian, but have family that I can ship stuff from the American site to and do this frequently as it's almost always cheaper than the Canadian site, and I often can't find what I'm looking for in Canada.

Ew, Ew Ew!


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## JamesMama

I did a quick scan today, I think they pulled it all! The only copies of the gross movies I can find are for sale from private owners, not Amazon!

Awesome job Mama's! We did it!!!!


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## SirPentor

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KaraBoo*
Are the movies made by a porno company? Is amazon selling movies made by pornographers? Or is amazon selling movies that porno companies recommend to people that like kiddie porn? Are the reviews the problem or the movies themselves?

I'm trying to figure this out, bear with me.

Of course they sell movies made by porno companies: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/se...irls+gone+wild. If that doesn't work, search for "girls gone wild" (only one I could think of off the top of my head).

The kiddie porn stuff seems pretty bad.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jen123*
So if they have nothing to hide why are they doing that ? One of their products really caught my eye...the description contradicts itself...the first part is fine..it's the second part...

I disagree. Personally I wish that every single item I purchased was discretely packaged. Why should other people know I'm into D&D and the Family Guy?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *fiveredhens*
She asked me if there was anything she could do and I told to her she could IMMEDIATELY suspend sales of the offending items until after the investigation. I asked her which was more important and who spends more money, their pedophile clients, or the mothers. I think she got the message, however she said it might be a few days before anything could be done.

Uhm. Yeah, I would hope I wouldn't be able to call Amazon up and tell them not to sell things. Holy crap, would that be bad news.

Looks like some progress may have already been made, though. I clicked the link suggested by fiveredhens (pretty gross) and noticed that all of them say they are unavailable.


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## Tofu the Geek

And they've also removed the "title" to the films. It has been replaced with "Title Unavailable".


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## lisalou

I was just coming to say I couldn't find any of the films on Amazon. Reading the reviews that were linked above it looks like Amazon might have originally asked for the films to be edited but that's not really good enough.

Unfortunately for me it seems rather similar to my aunt who had her daughter pose for a photographer b/c of the great money she would make and actually sent my grandmother the link to the site to see the photos. On the site you could buy the clothing worn for the photo shoot esp. the underwear. And the models were in as little clothes as he could get away with. My aunt didn't see anything wrong with it until the FBI showed up.


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## Alana

I think they did pull most of them....but if you go to Amazon and do a search for gym boys, you will get some other things. One is a book of short stories about boys in a boarding school...the others are some disturbing videos.







There is obviously more work to do. I didnt realize that this stuff could be sold.


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## JamesMama

Its a start though. I've reported a bunch more stuff, I'm going to e-mail Amazon and thank them for their effort but remind them there are still videos that need removed as well.


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## lisalou

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alana*
I think they did pull most of them....but if you go to Amazon and do a search for gym boys, you will get some other things. One is a book of short stories about boys in a boarding school...the others are some disturbing videos.







There is obviously more work to do. I didnt realize that this stuff could be sold.

Devil's Playground is the only questionable thing I see and I'm not even so sure that is. I don't care if they sell porn as long as it's legal porn. It would be nice if the created an adult's only section but that probably would only draw my child's attention to it.


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## Tinas3muskateers

IMO Kiddie porn is never ok no matter what section it is in. It's not about my kid seeing it, its about those poor children that are being exploited!


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## Girl Named Sandoz

Looks like Amazon decided to do the right thing:

http://blamemama.blogs.com/child_por...we_did_it.html










ETA: Sorry, I see this has been posted already, I missed a page.


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## Artisan

Got a response from Amazon:

Date: 2 Dec 2005 07:39:58 -0800
Subject: Your Amazon.com Inquiry
Thank you for writing to Amazon.com to bring this to our attention.

These videos are being removed from the list of offerings on our web
site.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact us about this matter.

Best regards,

Abhishek Jain
Amazon.com Customer Service
http://www.amazon.com
==============================


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## Girl Named Sandoz

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tinas3muskateers*
IMO Kiddie porn is never ok no matter what section it is in. It's not about my kid seeing it, its about those poor children that are being exploited!

I agree.

IMO the child pornography laws need to be changed to include any form of sexual exploitation of children, which these videos clearly are, even if they don't contain overt sexual acts. What is 'legal' does not automatically and in all instances equal 'acceptable', and laws can be changed to reflect a new understanding and consensus on specific issues.


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## Alana

I agree. To be honest I dont like any porn...BUT those are consenting adults not children who have no way or means to protect themselves. I have a very hard time seeing how anything presenting children in that light should be legal. Pedophiles do not need things to fuel their imagination.


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## guestmama9924

I am so thrilled that Amazon is 'trying' to do the right thing here. I agree, adult titles for adults WITH adults in one thing, but with kids, no, uh-uh, not acceptable.

It is also bad enough that they sell adult "toys" hence I cannot allow my child to browse with me, because just entering the words "toys" in the search yields non-kid friendly content!

reader- that is NOT the reply I got. I must have emailed them when they were still giving out the cheezy auto-reply . I really appreciate that someone actually emailed a REAL reply.


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## fiveredhens

I am so happy this happened. Yesterday afternoon I spoke with a woman in the Huntington WV branch of Amazon. She seemed very concerned and took me very seriously when I explained the problem and the massive number of moms that were mobilizing about this. I called her back today and left a message, I have no idea if she had anything to do with this, but it felt so good to be heard by another person and responded to in a compassionate way that I wanted to make sure she knew how I felt. After reading this discussion yesterday, I was poised to send this info out to everyone I know. DH told me to give Amazon 24 more hours. Amazingly, they took all of these concerns seriously. It is nice to see a business do the right thing for once. I agree with the other posters, though, this is only the beginning of a battle to make sure the laws are written in such a way that this kind of thing does not happen to any more children.


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## luna-mia

I just wanted to express my thanks to this board for bringing issues to the front for those of us who wouldn't otherwise have known. I signed the petition and felt my voice was heard. TY!


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## mamajama

Thank you everyone for doing this. Much respect.


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## davmon

to everyone who took action!! I agree with the pp that we should continue to monitor amazon (and others!) to make sure this garbage is not readily available to the sickos who want to buy it.

you all rock!!









Mona


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## Alana

I just did another check and "Little Warriors" is still on there.


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## Tofu the Geek

And Circus Boys (2002).


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## Fluffhead

My dh is a book dealer thru amazon, needless to say he was concerned about this so we did some research and much to our shock discovered that ebay has the same thing. Che ck this out EBAY and the other videos this seller has!


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## onlyzombiecat

I'm glad they seem to be listening.

We have used Amazon often and I had placed a large order with them (gifts for all the children on our Christmas list) just before this came to attention here. Thanks for posting this.


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## davmon

you know I saw this thing on 20/20 about the ebay founder just last night and he *seems* like a great CEO - donates alot of time and money to good causes ... I want to give him the benefit of the doubt that he doesn't know what he's selling (like this Show Me! by Will McBride "scholastic material" uke )

well here are ebay's phone numbers to let them know!

1-800-322-9266
1-888-749-3229

and then press the option to talk to an operator. they're open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. M-F (PST I believe ..) so let's all call them on Monday and discuss this with them ...

Mona


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## fiveredhens

I checked Amazon just now and the only Baikal film I could find was Boxer Boys, and even though I could get the title to come up with a description, it said it was unavailable for sale. Have those of you who are still finding these movies on amazon cleared your cache? Sometimes if you go to the same site you have been to already, you get the already viewed version and not the new one. Or, are these movies still available in other countries? FYI, I have saved screen shots of as many of the Baikal Films pages on Amazon as I could before they removed the videos just in case they are needed for some future litigation, etc. While it saddens me that these videos are also available on eBay, I am not surprised. Guess we have some more phone calls to make.


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## chalupamom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *davmon*
you know I saw this thing on 20/20 about the ebay founder just last night and he *seems* like a great CEO - donates alot of time and money to good causes ... I want to give him the benefit of the doubt that he doesn't know what he's selling (like this Show Me! by Will McBride "scholastic material" uke )

well here are ebay's phone numbers to let them know!

1-800-322-9266
1-888-749-3229

and then press the option to talk to an operator. they're open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. M-F (PST I believe ..) so let's all call them on Monday and discuss this with them ...

Mona

FYI: Pierre Oidyar is the chair and founder of Ebay. Meg Whiteman is Ebay's President and CEO.


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## davmon

The guy I saw on 20/20 was Jeff Skoll but a quick google seems to indicate that Pierre Oidyar is a good guy too. Hopefully they just aren't aware of what's being sold on ebay - although the ebay definition of 'offensive' doesn't include a specific listing of child pornagraphy ... maybe it's listed under their 'illegal' definition? I don't have time to look into it right now.

Mona


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## Tofu the Geek

--


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## fiveredhens

I did a search on eBay for Baikal, Gym Boys, and Little Warriors and found nothing. Does anyone know if these items were removed or there just aren't any up for auction right now?


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## aishy

They pulled them. The update is here http://blamemama.blogs.com/child_porn_on_amazon/


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## fiveredhens

Fantastic!!!!!!!!!


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## sunnybear

Agh, that's scary, I'm so glad they're actively taking care of this situation. I usually love Amazon and I've always been happy with purchases I've made there.


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## JessasMilkMama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aishy*
They pulled them. The update is here http://blamemama.blogs.com/child_porn_on_amazon/


yay! Now I won't have to boycott them. Good thing, because I love them and order from them all the time!


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## esk8partist

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JamesMama*
I did a quick scan today, I think they pulled it all! The only copies of the gross movies I can find are for sale from private owners, not Amazon!

Awesome job Mama's! We did it!!!!









awesome!

one thought though... amazon.com gets 15% commission from sales from private sellers. does any one know if amazon.com has completely eliminated the availability of these videos on their website?


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## pumpkinsmama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *reader*
Here is the Amazon "contact us" page. http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contac...389530-3946202 *NOTE: If you can't get the Amazon links to work, go to www.amazon.com and do a search for one of the titles.*

And here is a sample letter if you are so inclined:

Dear Sir or Madam,

It has come to my attention that amazon.com currently carries an array of videos marketed to pedophiles that fall under the category of child pornography. The videos are made by Baikal Films and are titles such as "Gym Boys," "Little Warriors Go to Summer Camp," and "The Genesis Children." They can be viewed here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...v=glance&s=dvd

If you spend a few moments reading the reviews of these videos, you will see that they are full of both sexual innuendo and graphic sexual language. If you do a further search into Baikal films, you will find these same videos with far more graphic descriptions on their website at www.baikalfilms.com.

I am a whole-hearted believer in freedom of speech and do not wish for Amazon to censor the materials they sell to fit my belief system. However, these videos are clearly in violation of federal law. If Amazon is found to be complicit in the distribution of child pornography, the consequences could be disastrous both in terms of legal consequences and customer backlash.

I am a loyal Amazon customer. But I cannot in good conscience stand by while children are exploited. I am forwarding this information to my friends and family, and I am asking you to immediately pull these videos off the shelves and turn them over to federal authorities.

Sincerely,


Thanks for that, I seldom have time to get that kind of thing done well. I also added : I am even more disturbed that one of your affiliattes is Toy R Us. I will be contacting them and letting them know that in the future they would do best to ensure their business partners do not engage in selling items that could be construed as pedophilia

I know they already pulled them, but I want them to be aware that it was a dangerously stupid and offensive mistake to make. I will not shop there again. It was a very bad oversight, and even though they corrected the problem I am so mad it happened to begin with I'll spend my money elsewhere.


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## pumpkinsmama

I'm considering sending another email suggesting they make a substantial donation to a child protection charity/pedophilia awareness group type thing. Any suggestions for wording/?


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## pumpkinsmama

Quote:

hank you for writing to Amazon.com to bring this to our attention.

These videos are being removed from the list of offerings on our web
site.
*
I am sorry to hear that you are upset by this item's inclusion in our
co-branded online toy store.*

*Our selection is designed for children of all ages and various
interests. Because our customers represent a wide spectrum of
opinions, that selection includes some items which people may find
objectionable.*

Please be assured that it is never our intent to offend any of
our customers, and I apologize for any discomfort we may have
inadvertently caused you or your family.

*You may wish to contact this toy's manufacturer directly with your
comments. Although I am unable to give out contact information, you
should be able to find this information with a quick search of the
web.*

Thank you again for taking the time to contact us about this matter.

Best regards,

krithika
Amazon.com Customer Service
http://www.amazon.com
==============================
My reply from Amazon.







: I'll send another just to complain about the ridiculous response.


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## pumpkinsmama

Quote:

I am even more disturbed by the reply I recieved (see below) from your Customer Service representitive. The fact that krithika referred to the video company as a "toy manufacturer" leads me to believe that krithika did not even read the original email.

I am pleased that the videos were removed from the website. Many of the mothers I correspond with agree you did the right thing. We are curious to know if any stricter controls have been put into place to stop this from occuring in the future, however. I had previously enjoyed shopping with Amazon, and would like to continue in the future. I do need to be certain that I am not shopping at a site that will sell videos that comprimise children. Please inform me of any steps you have taken.

Also, have you considered donating the previous earnings from the sales of those videos to a child protection charity? It would be an excellent gesture to affirm Amazons unwillingness to profit from the child porn industry.

Sincerely, Kelly.

"Amazon.com Customer Service" <[email protected]om> wrote:

Thank you for writing to Amazon.com to bring this to our attention.

These videos are being removed from the list of offerings on our web
site.

I am sorry to hear that you are upset by this item's inclusion in our
co-branded online toy store.

Our selection is designed for children of all ages and various
interests. Because our customers represent a wide spectrum of
opinions, that selection includes some items which people may find
objectionable.

Please be assured that it is never our intent to offend any of
our customers, and I apologize for any discomfort we may have
inadvertently caused you or your family.

You may wish to contact this toy's manufacturer directly with your
comments. Although I am unable to give out contact information, you
should be able to find this information with a quick search of the
web.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact us about this matter.

Best regards,

krithika
Amazon.com Customer Service
http://www.amazon.com
==============================
Check your order and more:

ref_id:

> Date: Thu Jan 05 05:48:09 UTC 2006
> Subject; Other Questions & Comments
> To: [email protected]
> From: email edited out for privacy
>
> ---------------
> 01/04/06 21:47:47
> NAME: edited for privacy
> ORDER ID:
> ITEMS:
>
> COMMENTS: Dear Sir or Madam,
>
> It has come to my attention that amazon.com currently carries an
array of
> videos marketed to pedophiles that fall under the category of child
> pornography. The videos are made by Baikal Films and are titles
such as
> "Gym Boys," "Little Warriors Go to Summer Camp," and "The Genesis
> Children." They can be viewed here:
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...?v=glance&s=dvd
>
> If you do a further search into Baikal films, you will find these
same
> videos with far more graphic descriptions on their website at
> www.baikalfilms.com.
>
> I am a whole-hearted believer in freedom of speech and do not wish
for
> Amazon to censor the materials they sell to fit my belief system.
However,
> these videos are clearly in violation of federal law. If Amazon is
found to
> be complicit in the distribution of child pornography, the
consequences
> could be disastrous both in terms of legal consequences and
customer
> backlash.
>
> I am a loyal Amazon customer. But I cannot in good conscience stand
by
> while children are exploited. I am forwarding this information to
my
> friends and family, and I am asking you to immediately pull these
videos
> off the shelves and turn them over to federal authorities.
>
> I am even more disturbed that one of your affiliattes is Toy R Us.
I will
> be contacting them and letting them know that in the future they
would do
> best to ensure their business partners do not engage in selling
items that
> could be construed as pedophilia
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Kelly (last name edited out for privacy).
> ---------------
>
We'll see what happens next. Grrrrrrrr. I really have like five items lined up that I want to buy through them, but I'll be patient. I can't stand the idea of this happening again.


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## corwinegall

In their defense, they're trying to make part of Amazon sort of like ebay, and let companies set up their own stuff. It's not like a buyer at Amazon said 'let's carry this'. At least they did do something about it once they realized it was there.

The form letter response is annoying tho!


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