[US] Amazon’s employee chat app will filter out ‘bad’ words like union and living wage

Tech and retail giant Amazon intends to add a content filter to an internal messaging app being developed for employees and would ban words that reflect the company’s working conditions or pertain to organising a union, The Verge reports.

According to internal documents obtained by The Intercept, when the filter is in place, the app would block or flag messages that include words like “union,” “slave labour,” “grievance,” “living wage,” and more. It would also reportedly filter out “restroom,” perhaps to avoid a repeat of any “just went to the restroom in a bottle” scenarios.

A source familiar with the situation spoke to The Intercept sharing that Amazon executives met in November 2021 to discuss the creation of a social media platform specifically for employees. Dave Clark - Amazon’s head of worldwide consumer business - is said to have proposed that the app should offer a one-on-one social experience, similar to dating app Bumble, rather than serving as a large social hub like Facebook. It would allow employees to highlight each others’ work by creating posts called “Shout-Outs.” 

Amazon would find a way to integrate these Shout-Outs into its gamification program, which already awards employees with virtual stars and badges for their productivity, according to reporting from The Intercept.

Executives reportedly discussed “the dark side of social media” at the meeting and agreed to monitor employees’ posts (if Amazon launched the platform). They were then said to have engaged in a post-meeting brainstorm and the source reports that their list of “bad” words was devised at this time.

In addition to uses of profanity and other inappropriate words, The Intercept said the blacklist would also include “unfair,” “master,” “slave,” “injustice,” “ethics,” “diversity,” “fairness,” “pay raise,” and phrases like “This is dumb” or “This is concerning.”

“Our teams are always thinking about new ways to help employees engage with each other,” In a statement to The Verge, Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait said, “This particular program has not been approved yet and may change significantly or even never launch at all. If it does launch at some point down the road, there are no plans for many of the words you’re calling out to be screened. The only kinds of words that may be screened are ones that are offensive or harassing, which is intended to protect our team”

This has been a news-heavy season for the retailer. The very first Amazon union just formed at a Staten Island, New York warehouse, representing a huge landmark for Amazon workers across the country. And a union vote in Bessemer, Alabama, was too close to call and will be determined by a court hearing. It was the second election following the National Labor Relations Board's claims that Amazon broke labour laws during the first. The union vote at another Staten Island warehouse is currently underway.

Source: The Verge

(Links and quotes via original reporting)

Tech and retail giant Amazon intends to add a content filter to an internal messaging app being developed for employees and would ban words that reflect the company’s working conditions or pertain to organising a union, The Verge reports.

According to internal documents obtained by The Intercept, when the filter is in place, the app would block or flag messages that include words like “union,” “slave labour,” “grievance,” “living wage,” and more. It would also reportedly filter out “restroom,” perhaps to avoid a repeat of any “just went to the restroom in a bottle” scenarios.

A source familiar with the situation spoke to The Intercept sharing that Amazon executives met in November 2021 to discuss the creation of a social media platform specifically for employees. Dave Clark - Amazon’s head of worldwide consumer business - is said to have proposed that the app should offer a one-on-one social experience, similar to dating app Bumble, rather than serving as a large social hub like Facebook. It would allow employees to highlight each others’ work by creating posts called “Shout-Outs.” 

Amazon would find a way to integrate these Shout-Outs into its gamification program, which already awards employees with virtual stars and badges for their productivity, according to reporting from The Intercept.

Executives reportedly discussed “the dark side of social media” at the meeting and agreed to monitor employees’ posts (if Amazon launched the platform). They were then said to have engaged in a post-meeting brainstorm and the source reports that their list of “bad” words was devised at this time.

In addition to uses of profanity and other inappropriate words, The Intercept said the blacklist would also include “unfair,” “master,” “slave,” “injustice,” “ethics,” “diversity,” “fairness,” “pay raise,” and phrases like “This is dumb” or “This is concerning.”

“Our teams are always thinking about new ways to help employees engage with each other,” In a statement to The Verge, Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait said, “This particular program has not been approved yet and may change significantly or even never launch at all. If it does launch at some point down the road, there are no plans for many of the words you’re calling out to be screened. The only kinds of words that may be screened are ones that are offensive or harassing, which is intended to protect our team”

This has been a news-heavy season for the retailer. The very first Amazon union just formed at a Staten Island, New York warehouse, representing a huge landmark for Amazon workers across the country. And a union vote in Bessemer, Alabama, was too close to call and will be determined by a court hearing. It was the second election following the National Labor Relations Board's claims that Amazon broke labour laws during the first. The union vote at another Staten Island warehouse is currently underway.

Source: The Verge

(Links and quotes via original reporting)