Amazon May Have Lied To Congress About Its Business Practices, Lawmakers Say (techcrunch.com)
- Reference: 0153854117
- News link: https://slashdot.org/story/21/10/18/1630255/amazon-may-have-lied-to-congress-about-its-business-practices-lawmakers-say
- Source link: https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/18/lawmakers-accuse-amazon-executives-of-misleading-or-lying-to-congress-about-its-business-practices/
> Reuters and the Markup reported last week that Amazon uses the data of third-party sellers on its platform to inform and create its private-label products. Both the outlets also noted that Amazon then gives preference to its own portfolio over those of the rivals when customers look up for products. The letter, addressed to Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy, says it's offering Jassy "a final opportunity to provide exculpatory evidence to corroborate the prior testimony and statements on behalf of Amazon to the Committee." In the letter, the lawmakers also said the committee is considering whether it would be appropriate to refer the Department of Justice to launch a criminal investigation into the subject.
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/18/lawmakers-accuse-amazon-executives-of-misleading-or-lying-to-congress-about-its-business-practices/
Halloween is coming (Score:2)
Congress loves Halloween. They are always pursuing witch hunts.
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in a secret market where tech companies control the flow of information? that's not how a free market works and it's not to the benefit of a functioning democracy.
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Since when has business ever cared about having a functioning democracy? Their sole purpose is gain.
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They do not. That is why we have regulators who's job is to ensure open and fair competition; prevent the sharks eating the minnows.
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Well if there isn't freedom or free enterprise then businesses become organs of an autocratic state. If that's not motivation enough for them to play ball then we're all screwed.
Re: Let the MARKET decide how it does business (Score:2)
We are all screwed. A corporation can run the autocracy which in principle is a bit more like an oligarchy but it gets blurry. It's kind of like asking who runs Amazon... Anyways, a company would ideally love this position and likewise it's employees for the preferential treatment they receive but as citizens we should despise it. Often, I think we often aren't aware of how easy it is for companies to rise to this level. I think a good historical example of this is the Dutch East India Company and the strai
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"Well if there isn't freedom or free enterprise then businesses become organs of an autocratic state."
Because businesses aren't autocratic?
Think again; in fact, look at some history.
Now look at who Congress *actually* works for.
then tell me if there is any difference between the government running businesses, and businesses running the government.
Both cases are called "corporatism", which Mussolini called "Fascism". That's according to both history, and the dictionary.
Regardless of what some talking head o
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There are examples social democracy and welfare capitalism working, so it is possible to hold on to capitalism without devolving into a corpocracy, kleptocracy, plutocracy, fascism, or authoritarian central planning system.
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That is quite the over simplification. A retail, or wholesale, business exists to make a profit by selling a product or service that customers need and to price such accordingly so that customers will come back for more. It ain't just about money, but how they make the money in a sustainable way. Amazon lying about their business is a big no-no, and needs to be severely dealt with.
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> A retail, or wholesale, business exists to make a profit by selling a product or service that customers need and to price such accordingly so that customers will come back for more.
The corporation I work for has resolved this by buying so much of the competition that there is almost no choice in most of the markets they operate in.
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Amazon is destroying competition by using their own platform to build and promote rivals while shoving out the original creators. This will become problematic as innovators get discouraged from creating new products if some company is going to lock them out,
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> US federal government doesn't have any idea how many departments it has, why should it run Amazon?
Writing the laws that create a level playing field for businesses is one of the fundamental things a government should do... but that's kind of besides the point.
The government needs information in order to govern properly, Congressional Committees are a show-boating way to do so but they do produce information as well as help insert things into the public record.
Lying to a Congressional Committee is illegal and that's probably a good thing.
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No, I've asked the One True Source: Google. The answer is 15 executive departments. If you asked any head of those departments, they'd be able to tell you how many are in the next tier down and probably some below that. For the lower ones, you go lower in the organization, and so on. I guess being daft prevents you from understanding organizations. And what difference would it make if someone tabulated them all? What fucking use is that information?
Amazon's Behaviour is Common Knowlege (Score:2)
Started buying books from Amazon when the local bookstores stopped stocking their shelves and implemented slow ordering.
Now, searches on Amazon for Brand Name items with the manufacturer's name in the searches window doesn't bring up the Brand Name item. Scroll down and down and down to find what I want. Refine the searches for Prime Only items and free shipping items show up. Now, it's search, search, search to find the Name Brand and if it is a Prime Only item. Amazon's search has degraded over the
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Correct, I don't even bother with Amazon any longer because of the horrible search. Then there's the counterfeit problem they have too. Back in the early 2000's the site was actually very easy to use and extremely convenient. Now, it's a shit show at best.
So? (Score:2, Insightful)
This is congress. They lie to their constituents hourly, oftentimes for no better reason than to keep in practice. Why should anyone feel compelled to be honest with them when it'll only be used as a bludgeon against you?
Amazon may be a horrible company with shitty business practices, but congress is downright evil.
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I'm not sure I understand your point. They're not threatening to throw Bezos in jail or something, they're saying "please back up your claims, or we will investigate them." So they're doing exactly what you suggest: they're going to look for more evidence that Amazon was lying. They're just giving Amazon the chance to prevent that from happening by proving that they weren't lying.
What's more, they actually already have evidence that Amazon was lying, which is described in the letter they sent to Amazon.
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How about let the appropriate agencies enforce laws already on the books, instead of working outside the scope of their duties for PR sound bites.
That's really what this amounts to. Congress isn't part of the executive branch, after all, so if any laws were violated it'd be up to executive federal agencies to investigate and/or charge them.
Really; what does congress hope to accomplish? They have no bite, no real power to enforce their will. The best they can do is pass laws and hope the executive sees fi
no surprise there then (Score:1)
It seems that since at least half the politicians in DC lie through their noses all the time, for a company to be called out for the same is just 'more birds of a feather'.
Just ask all those repubs who won the 2020 presidential election... A good number will still answer 'my dear leader, Donald J Trump'.
all part of the big lie and their plan to have a new civil war and install Trump as dictator for life (according to Bannon)
So! Everyone (Score:2)
lies to Congress! Congress is a bad joke on the American taxpayers. When is the last time congress did any of it's real work?
This is unusual because? (Score:2)
People lie to Congress.
Congresscritters lie to the People.
It's all a Caucus Race (definition 1).
[1]https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/caucus+race [thefreedictionary.com]
[1] https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/caucus+race
Amazon should be sued by its shareholders. (Score:2)
Amazon has valuable insight about consumer behaviors using a product. If it did not use that information to increase its profits its shareholders should be able to sue the company for fiduciary irresponsibility, for not protecting their interests.
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This is short term thinking on a pathological level.
Not stabbing all of its vendors in the back is probably an important part of Amazon's future, which is something at least some of its shareholders are concerned about.
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Yeah, if Amazon's claims are true, they're the most incompetent company on earth. So they're either lying or stupid. Looking at how well Amazon is doing, I'm going to bet it's the former.
In other news... (Score:2)
Congress is shocked, SHOCKED! To find that gambling has been going on in this establishment.
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Dang nab it! I was gonna dib that obligatory joke. Moderators, do your duty?
But I can still kick at the FP for the vacuous Subject. Also the body of the FP was empty cheer-leading. I predict "who cares" over there.
And nodding to my fixation on solution approaches, though it isn't really a solution, but... You do not have to shop with Amazon. Over 20 years since the second and last time I bought anything from Amazon, and it hasn't killed me. (Yet.)
No (Score:2)
"then gives preference to its own portfolio over those of the rivals when customers look up for products. "
LOL, Amazon search SUCKS!
I can't even find stuff I ordered previously and that are available.
A Google search finds the article inside Amazon without any problem.
"May" have lied? (Score:2)
Lying about business practices is not an aberration for Amazon. It is a core business practice and fundamental precept of their religion: In America, cheapest wins , irrespective of quality or long-term outcome.
Yes, please (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, go for it please. This kind of crap needs to be dragged out into daylight, kicking and screaming.
I wish they had chased financial institutions harder in 2008.
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There is 0% chance that anything will happen to the people at Amazon who were responsible for this, beyond some token fine less than the profit generated by the violations, or maybe one scapegoat going to prison.
Not much different from 2008...
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Let's daylight it and see, shall we?