<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon and the world’s richest individual, has been called before the House Judiciary Committee to explain how the ecommerce giant uses data on third-party merchants. The lawmakers, in submitting the request, said a recent report about Amazon’s practices contradicted the company’s previous statements to the committee and “appear to be misleading, and possibly criminally false or perjurious.”” data-reactid=”20″>Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon and the world’s richest individual, has been called before the House Judiciary Committee to explain how the ecommerce giant uses data on third-party merchants. The lawmakers, in submitting the request, said a recent report about Amazon’s practices contradicted the company’s previous statements to the committee and “appear to be misleading, and possibly criminally false or perjurious.”
Amazon reps did not immediately provide comment.
<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="In a letter, dated May 1, addressed to Bezos, the House lawmakers wrote that they expected Bezos to appear voluntarily but added that “we reserve the right to resort to compulsory process if necessary.”” data-reactid=”22″>In a letter, dated May 1, addressed to Bezos, the House lawmakers wrote that they expected Bezos to appear voluntarily but added that “we reserve the right to resort to compulsory process if necessary.”
<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="The letter cited a Wall Street Journal April 23 report that Amazon employees — as “standard operating procedure” — used sensitive business information from third-party sellers on its platform to develop competing products. If that’s true, the House members wrote, “then statements Amazon made to the Committee about the company’s business practices appear to be misleading, and possibly criminally false or perjurious.”” data-reactid=”23″>The letter cited a Wall Street Journal April 23 report that Amazon employees — as “standard operating procedure” — used sensitive business information from third-party sellers on its platform to develop competing products. If that’s true, the House members wrote, “then statements Amazon made to the Committee about the company’s business practices appear to be misleading, and possibly criminally false or perjurious.”
In response to the Journal report, Amazon has said the employees’ conduct cited represented violations of its policy against the use of non-public, individual seller data.
The House Judiciary Committee last year launched a probe into Amazon’s role in digital commerce. In testimony before the committee in July 2019, when asked about Amazon’s use of third-party seller data, Nate Sutton, Amazon’s associate general counsel, said “[W]e do not use their individual data when we’re making decisions to launch private brands.”
In September, the committee requested documents related to Amazon’s relationship with sellers, including Amazon’s use of third-party sellers’ data. “Amazon has not made an adequate production in response to this request, and—seven months after the original request—significant gaps remain,” the lawmakers alleged in the May 1 letter.
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