EBay outlines policy on racial language

WASHINGTON Nov 17, 2004 ? Following complaints, eBay has announced a new policy regarding use of racially offensive terms in its listings.

Racially offensive terms may not appear in descriptions of items, as some sellers apparently have done in the Web site's Black Americana categories.

The terms are allowed on the site only when used in titles of books, movies or other products. The giant online marketplace noted that racially derogatory terms are used in the titles of a number of books, including some by African-American writers.

Users who attempt to use the offending terms will see a pop-up notice informing them of the new policy.

< It's derogatory for them to read books by themselves with particular words that they use in the title... >