top of page
Moving People

News

Amazon UK website defaced with racist abuse

  • BBC News
  • Jun 1, 2020
  • 2 min read

Amazon has blamed a "bad actor" for racist abuse that appeared on multiple listings on its UK website.

The abuse, now removed, appeared when users searched the online shop for Apple AirPods and similar products.

It was unclear how long the racist language remained on the site, but it sparked outrage on Twitter and the sharing of screenshots and video grabs.

"We investigated, removed the images in question and took action against the bad actor," Amazon told the BBC.

The company did not elaborate on the "bad actor", nor give details of how many products were defaced and how long the abuse was visible on the listings.

Nadine White, a journalist for the Huffington Post, tweeted that the abuse "needs to be acknowledged, removed, explained, apologised for asap. Being Black right now is hard enough; we don't need to be called the N- word while shopping online, to boot".

Another Twitter user said Amazon should have been able to remove the offending messages in minutes. "They're still on Amazon UK.

Extraordinarily poor site administration," he said during early hours of Sunday.

Amazon also allows third-party retailers to sell goods through its website, with the company making about half its retail revenues from this.

But the Amazon Marketplace platform has come under scrutiny.

There has been concern about counterfeit goods appearing in the listings, and during the coronavirus pandemic Amazon was criticised for not doing enough to stop sellers inflating prices.

In April, five Amazon e-commerce websites, including the UK, were added to the US trade regulator's "notorious markets" report on marketplaces known for counterfeiting and piracy concerns.

Amazon disagreed strongly with the move, saying in a statement that "this purely political act is another example of the administration using the US government to advance a personal vendetta against Amazon".


Comments


construction-image1.jpg

Subscribe and keep up to date with all the latest news from Oakmark

Subtle Shapes Transparent
WEST AFRICA'S NO.1 ECONOMIC AGENTS

Oakmark Global Vision provides a bespoke business package to established corporate bodies, investors, and entrepreneurs who desire to enter the West & Pan African market. Find out more >

© 2025 Oakmark Global Vision Ltd - All Rights Reserved.

UK Company No. 07634879 / Nigeria Company No. RC 1288232

Regional Office

International Office

1 Kandi Close, Off Aminu Kano

Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja F.C.T

Nigeria 

+234 -(0)- 929 207 02

+234 (0) 704 497 6500

info@oakmarkglobalvision.com

King Court, 17 School Road

Hall Green, Birmingham

United Kingdom  B28, 8JG

+44 (0) 121 244 1814

+44 (0) 746 625 2505

info@oakmarkglobalvision.com

 Oakmark Global Vision Limited

bottom of page