Amazon Restricted Vaginal Health Products for Being ‘Potentially Embarrassing’

Big Tech’s restrictions on adult content are crippling businesses and organizations focused on sexual health, according to a new report shared exclusively with WIRED.

Startup founder Tara Langdale-Schmidt says her company’s devices, known as VuVa, are designed to soothe the pelvic and vaginal pain and discomfort that she and millions of other women have experienced. But over the past decade, Langdale-Schmidt alleges Amazon has repeatedly shut down VuVatech’s product listings—sometimes she says for violating what she views as prudish “adult” content rules. Last year, Amazon blocked VuVatech from adding a discount coupon to one product because its automated systems identified the item as “potentially embarrassing or offensive,” according to a screenshot seen by WIRED.