MODERN DAY BOOK BURNING ON AMAZON IN REAL TIME
- Mark Playne
- Aug 26
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 27
 |
Book burning and other methods of destruction are together known as
The Quiet Bonfire: How Shadow Banning Became the New Book Burning There was a time when suppressing an inconvenient book required a public spectacle. Men in uniforms piled volumes into the square, struck a match, and let the smoke announce that certain ideas were no longer welcome. The world called it biblioclasm, or libricide, and it carried at least one virtue: it was honest. Everyone could see the fire. Modern censorship has dispensed with the smoke. No notice, no explanation, no appeal that produced a response. The book remains on the shelf, technically available, yet stripped of the very evidence that anyone had valued it. This is shadow banning, and it is libricide wearing a friendlier face. The comparison is not a rhetorical flourish. Both practices share a single purpose: to remove a voice from circulation without leaving fingerprints. A burned book is an admission of intent. A deleted review is a shrug and a reference to an algorithm. The first destroys the object. The second destroys the object's reputation, which is often the more valuable target. The difference is one of presentation, not principle. Where the old censor used fire, the new censor uses a content filter. Where the old censor faced the public, the new censor hides behind terms like "moderation" and "community standards." The outcome is the same: ideas that challenge the gatekeepers are quietly starved of oxygen. If a library removed every third favourable notice from its catalogue, readers would recognise the act for what it is. The digital equivalent deserves no less scrutiny. A book that no one can find, and whose praise no one can see, has been burned just as surely as one consigned to the flames. The only difference is that this fire leaves no ash. |
WHY?
Meanwhile, the deluge of Amazon censorship on the master edition continues. Scroll down to see how the reviews have declined from over 60 to 41 in a few days. Why? They don't want the 'normies' reading the book. Why now? I'm guessing it's the release of the audio version of The Architecture of Deception on Substack... It's powerful... maybe more powerful than the written word. (scroll down to find links to listen yourself)
Why? It's not repeating the same stories pushed by so many. Through pure logic and critical thinking, AI & I reveals:
Let's remember the censorship is proof of the book's power. The censorship is the flak, meaning the book is over the target. Again, I wonder if the effort I'm putting in is worth it? Is the risk worth it? My work is shadow-banned at every angle, including my children's books. Then I remember the why. This isn't about basic self-centred survival logic. No one sane would do what I'm doing. We are living in insane times, so it takes as many of us as possible behaving 'insanely' to ensure we survive as a sane society. Icke says it far better than I do in this short video... |
THE MATHS OF CENSORSHIP |
Let's do some maths. Saturday at 17.15 there were 53 reviews (down from 62 or so a few days back, when I first noticed the rapid decline.)
By Monday lunchtime today, there are 47 reviews. 53-47 = 6 reviews deleted. BUT! Three more reviews were placed as per the above dated copy/pasted reviews. That means 9 have been deleted. That's 10% of the reviews that have been deleted since Saturday afternoon!
Today Weds 26th August, there are 41 reviews and that's with 2 more being left (see below)
What can you do to help? Please leave more reviews, and if you have time, complain to Amazon (scroll down for links and a template letter)
For a review best to write it offline then copy/ paste reviews to both sites
Here is the ongoing evidence trail of the declining reviews....
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THE EVIDENCE TRAIL
Weds 26th August 11.33 am41 AMAZON REVIEWS3 more deleted |
Total down to 41 but with these two new reviews added! So 42 + 2 -3 =41, means 3 more reviews have been deleted
AI actually can be used to humanity's benefit! Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2026 Very illuminating book!AI can be a useful tool once you get past it's inherent biases..Author Mark Playne seems to have got AI to drop it's guard somewhat in this volume, eliciting some very interesting responses which can be corroborated by a quick online search.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2026 Excellent book. A must read for everyone regardless of personal views of 2020 as AI is something that is affecting us all now, and this is a great insight into AI. |
Monday Tuesday 25th August 10.17 am42 AMAZON REVIEWS |
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Monday 24th August 12.22 pm47 AMAZON REVIEWS |
Monday 24th August 3.15 am49 AMAZON REVIEWS |
Saturday 22nd August 17.1553 AMAZON REVIEWS |
COMPLAIN TO AMAZON
Here is a template letter
Subject: Concern about systematic removal of genuine book reviews
I am writing because my genuine review of [BOOK TITLE] has disappeared from Amazon, and I understand that a significant number of other readers of the same book have experienced the same thing.
This raises a serious concern.
My review was written independently, reflected my genuine opinion of the book, and was not paid for, incentivised or requested in exchange for any benefit. To the best of my knowledge, it complied fully with Amazon’s Community Guidelines.
I appreciate that Amazon has systems designed to detect manipulated or inauthentic reviews. However, when numerous genuine reviews of the same book are removed, particularly reviews from real readers expressing support for a book dealing with controversial or challenging subject matter, it inevitably creates the appearance that legitimate reader opinion is being suppressed.
Whether this is the result of an automated moderation system, coordinated reporting, or another process, I believe Amazon should investigate it.
Customer reviews are supposed to allow readers to express their genuine experiences and opinions. If legitimate reviews are being removed simply because a book attracts controversy, criticism or organised complaints, that would have serious implications for the integrity of Amazon’s review system and for freedom of expression on the platform.
I would therefore ask Amazon to:
Review the removal or suppression of my review.
Explain specifically which Community Guideline, if any, my review was found to have breached.
Investigate whether genuine reviews of this particular book are being removed disproportionately.
Reinstate my review if no genuine breach of Amazon’s rules can be identified.
Book: AI & I: Cracking The Covid Code - An AI Empowered Forensic InvestigationASIN: BOFPGSBMMW
ISBN-13 : 978-1919236292
Link: https://geni.us/AInI-paperbackName used on review: Approximate date posted: Review title: (if remembered)
I would appreciate a substantive response rather than a generic explanation of Amazon’s review policy.
Thank you.
Where to send this:
Amazon UK Customer Service:https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/contact-us
Then select:
Help with something else → Something else → Amazon Community → Customer Reviews → Moderation Process → I need more help → Send us an email
Alternatively, Amazon currently lists:
GENERAL CENSORSHIP COMPLAINT
I am writing to raise a serious concern about the apparent mass removal of reviews from an important and controversial book.
Whatever the subject matter, genuine reader reviews should not be systematically suppressed simply because a title challenges prevailing views or attracts organised complaints.
If large numbers of legitimate reviews are being removed, whether by automated moderation or another process, this risks creating the appearance of censorship and undermines confidence in Amazon’s review system.
Please investigate whether this title is being treated disproportionately and ensure that lawful, genuine reader opinion is not being suppressed.
Thank you.
Where to send this:
Amazon UK Customer Service:https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/contact-us
Then select:
Help with something else → Something else → Amazon Community → Customer Reviews → Moderation Process → I need more help → Send us an email
Alternatively, Amazon currently lists:
THE BOOKS
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