The NCAB will ask other web shops and online platforms, operating in the Netherlands, to share their vision and working methods and organize a meeting in early 2023 between representatives of these parties to exchange their experiences and best practices. All this to come up with a better and efficient way to ban anti-Semitic content from web shops and online platforms.

Response NCAB

“Books with anti-Semitic content are unfortunately still available. This initiative helps to stop the sale of these hateful products on the Internet. We encourage other web shops and online platforms to participate in our initiative.”

Review framework for books

Bol.com is the store of all of us. That means that everyone should be able to come to bol.com and feel welcome. Articles, including books, that incite hatred, violence or unequal treatment can therefore be removed from bol.com’s platform. This also applies to books that incite hatred, violence or unequal treatment of the Jewish community. At the same time, bol.com wants to deal carefully with freedom of expression and thereby also support the educational and historical importance of books.

Bol.com is not a content expert on the topics described in books. To determine what may be hateful, discriminatory or anti-Semitic, bol.com has drawn input from discussions with experts on the subject, including the Dutch Meldpunt Discriminatie. Among other things, this resulted in a review framework for books.

The assessment framework allows bol.com employees to assess discriminatory books, such as books with anti-Semitic content. Based on a detection, assessment and reporting system, bol.com decides whether a book remains online, is given an information label, or is taken offline. In doing so, bol.com takes into account applicable laws and regulations.

Proactive and reactive assessment

Thousands of new books are automatically uploaded to bol.com every week, complementing an existing assortment of tens of millions of books. New books are now proactively reviewed. In addition, bol.com uses the review framework reactively after notification from customers or employees, for example.

Bol.com continues to develop these systems and is taking steps to address the challenges involved, such as obtaining expertise on titles and authors and making arrangements with publishers and suppliers. In addition, bol.com continues to talk with experts to obtain advice on social issues in order to continue to make well-informed decisions about the assortment in the future.

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About the National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism

On April 1, 2021, the NCAB was appointed by the Dutch government. The NCAB is part of the Ministry of Justice and Security. The NCAB brings together expertise on antisemitism (and its combating) within the government, connects the government, businesses, and civil society organizations in this fight, and supports initiatives in this field both in the Netherlands and internationally.

On October 6, 2022, the NCAB published its work plan. The work plan serves as the basis for concrete actions in the fight against antisemitism. This plan is grouped around three pillars:

1. Monitoring and follow-up;
2. Education and prevention;
3. Commemoration and celebration.