Released: November 22, 2021

Amazon wages secret war on Americans’ privacy, documents show

Source: Jeffrey Dastin, Chris Kirkham & Aditya Kalra, Reuters

In recent years, Amazon.com Inc has killed or undermined privacy protections in more than three dozen bills across 25 states, as the e-commerce giant amassed a lucrative trove of personal data on millions of American consumers.  Amazon executives and staffers detail these lobbying victories in confidential documents reviewed by Reuters.

Most consumers don’t understand how much personal information they cede to technology firms, said David Choffnes, a privacy researcher at Boston’s Northeastern University.

Amazon collects data on consumers through its Alexa voice assistant, its e-commerce marketplace, Kindle e-readers, Audible audiobooks, its video and music platforms, home-security cameras and fitness trackers. Alexa-enabled devices make recordings inside people’s homes, and Ring security cameras capture every visitor.

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