Amazon reportedly facing antitrust probes in California, Washington
Amazon's antitrust headaches don't appear to be going away.
State officials in California and Washington are reportedly looking into Amazon's handling of third-party sellers on a platform where the company also sells its own, competing products. Amazon faced similar scrutiny in 2019 from the European Union.
The news of a California investigation was first reported Friday in The Wall Street Journal. A subsequent New York Times report corroborated the earlier one, and also noted that Washington was in the mix as well. Both papers cite unnamed sources familiar with the inquiries.
Amazon has long been dogged by suspicions that the company uses its position as gatekeeper of the world's most popular online marketplace to gain an unfair competitive advantage over other sellers on the platform. Over the years, the company has added more and more private label brands to its collection.
The Timesreport notes that California officials want to know if and how Amazon uses seller data to inform its own private label moves. The Washington investigation is also interested in finding out if Amazon makes it harder for sellers to peddle their products on other platforms.
Neither state commented on the record in response to either report, nor did an Amazon spokesperson.
Whatever may be happening in state offices behind the scenes, reports of these investigations amount to another PR hit for a company that's had its share of them in 2020. Its earlier troubles mostly tie to the coronavirus pandemic and the company's missteps as reports emerged of unsafe working environments in Amazon warehouses.
Concerns inside and outside the company have had a number of impacts. Back in April, tech workers called out sick to protest working conditions. This came only a few days after two warehouse workers who publicly criticized the company were fired. That firing also led one VP, who called the move "chickenshit," to quit his job.
The internal struggles are having an impact on the outside as well, with some Amazon customers sending the company a message by canceling their Prime subscriptions.
These state investigations are just one piece of a bigger picture that's seen the U.S. government go after Big Tech more and more at both the state and federal levels.
SEE ALSO:Amazon's proposed federal anti-price gouging law (surprise!) protects AmazonFacebook got hit with an investigation from the Federal Trade Commission in summer 2019 just as an earlier one had wrapped up. A few months later, in September, multiple states – including New York, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee, as well as Washington, D.C. – launched antitrust investigations into Facebook and Google both.
The U.S. Congress also joined the fray at around the same time, asking Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon for records. The letter sent by the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee expressed concern over "competition problems in digital markets" and possible anti-competitive behavior from the biggest and most powerful players.
相关文章
Which iPad Model Is Right for You?
With class-leading hardware and optimized software, the Apple iPad line has long been the default ta2024-09-22- 雅安日报/北纬网讯从28日起,国道351线铜头峡隧道群、小关子隧道群将进行交通管制,对中型、重型货运车辆和装载危化品、易燃易爆物品的车辆进行限制通行措施,以有效确保国道351线芦山至宝兴段的安全畅通。2024-09-22
Lack of fertilizers adds to North Korea agriculture crisis
North Korean state-run KCNA TV shows corn stalks, shriveled in the heat. YonhapBy Jung Da-minNorth K2024-09-22[Photo News] Students in line for COVID
Students line up to get tested for COVID-19 on Thursday morning after a new case was reported at a m2024-09-22NASA says Earth just had the hottest day ever recorded
In the 1800s, pioneering scientists foresaw how carbon in the air could warm Earth. By 1938, English2024-09-22Losers cheque worth the journey, says Zidansek
MELBOURNE:After a long-haul flight from Abu Dhabi and two weeks quarantine in Melbourne, Tamara Zida2024-09-22
最新评论