When a seller uses the n-word, for example, in an item description, a new box will automatically pop up on the computer screen. It will tell the seller that the listing contains a word that may be "highly offensive to many in the eBay community" and could violate the company's policy against racially offensive items.
"It's a small victory, but it also sends a good message that corporations have to be sensitive to communities of color," said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of the National Alliance for Positive Action, a racial and social justice group that worked with eBay to bring about the changes.
eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said the change, made at the suggestion of Hutchinson's Inglewood, Calif.-based group, will likely go into effect by the end of April.
The company's listing policies are "constantly evolving," Pursglove said. "A great majority of the guidelines and policies that we have in place now come from users. This is another good idea that came from users."
The new pop-up window will also recognize that, in some cases, the use of the slur is necessary to describe an item if the word appears prominently on the item itself, such as with a book, CD or movie title. The pop-up window will ask sellers to "take a moment to review your listing carefully and ensure that your language shows appropriate sensitivity to potential buyers and others who might view the item."
Hutchinson and others had said it was painful to find listings for books, prints, card games, antique glass sets, tobacco tins and other items that used a racial slur with no context, and were sometimes described as "cute" or "adorable."
He acknowledged that such historical black memorabilia is bought by museums and private collectors and can be used to educate people about racism in America's past. However, Hutchinson said he objected to reproductions that are sold to "make money off of racism."
eBay says it has always removed reproductions -- as opposed to "historical black Americana items" -- but is now adding new language to its offensive items policy. The policy will now say, "occasionally, eBay users list antiques or historical pieces that now, in modern society, can be racially or ethnically offensive to some in the eBay community."
While such historical relics can serve as "important tools for education about the past," eBay will not allow "listings of racial or ethnically inappropriate reproductions," the new policy will say, adding that "eBay, of course, does not promote or encourage racial intolerance."
The policy will also caution sellers to avoid using the n-word unless it's necessary to describe the item.
eBay's current policy already says the company will "judiciously disallow listings or items that promote or glorify hatred, violence, or racial intolerance, or items that promote organizations (such as the KKK, Nazis, neo-Nazis, and Aryan Nation) with such views."
In May 2001, it began banning the sale of artifacts from Nazi Germany, the Ku Klux Klan and notorious criminals, in hopes of avoiding legal problems in other countries; in France, Germany, Austria and Italy it is illegal to sell items relating to the Third Reich.
Copyright 2003. Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
