Hell hath no fury like an algorithm crossed
sir – A friend of mine submitted a book review to Amazon for posting on their website. He received a response that it was unacceptable due to the “abusive language” in it – the word hell.
He spoke with customer relations to indicate that his reference was to the literal Hell, and that it was not intended as a swear word. The Amazon reply was that his writing would have to be submitted to the book review committee for further consideration, and that it would take five to seven days. In the mean time would he like to take the word hell out of it, to make it more acceptable to the review committee?
He explained the impossibility of this, since Hell was the crux of the whole book. The Amazon man replied that repeated abusive language could result in his being barred from Amazon permanently.
A computer friend explained that software was picking up the offending word and not a human being. He said he had similar problems. His name is Dick. Can things get any more ridiculous? Keith Parsons
Malvern, Worcestershire