Yahoo! bans Nazi memorabilia auctions

Yahoo! has announced two major changes to its online auction service after coming under fire for the sale of Nazi memorabilia.

By Chris Holbrook, 3 January 2001 12:00

NEWS Reacting to widespread criticism Yahoo! has banned all hate-related items, including Nazi memorabilia and installed a new monitoring program that will automatically screen new listings for offensive content. The move comes after a ruling in a Paris court last year found the US-based company in violation of a French ban on inciting hate. In a bid to stem criticism from internet rights groups the company has said it will listen to the complaints of any individuals who believe their listings have been blocked unfairly under the new system. Yahoo! also announced it is to start charging customers up to $2.25 per item to sell on the auction site, which averages around three million items at any one time. Yahoo! has come under increasing pressure to add fees to several of its services, such as the auction listings, in order to reduce its dependence upon advertising, which accounts for around 80 per cent of its revenues.

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