Amazon's 'astronomical' misuse of customer data could ruin company

[cbabe]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by JudyM (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Seattle Times/tech story

A shareholder is suing Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy, and 17 other Amazon executives for intentionally allowing the business to violate state laws, in a novel strategy to draw attention to how Amazon utilizes individuals’ data.

Amazon has already been chastised for its usage of biometric data, such as fingerprints and face photos. It has been accused of collecting and utilizing people’s photos without their permission, as well as breaking state laws that restrict firms from profiting from people’s biometric data.

Typically, legal steps are taken against the firm. This time, shareholder Stephen Nelson is suing on behalf of the company against Amazon’s top executives.

Nelson claims that the defendants, which include executives such as founder and Executive Chairman Bezos, CEO Jassy, Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky, and General Counsel David Zapolsky, as well as all 11 members of the board of directors, knowingly allowed Amazon to make false statements about its use of biometric data. According to his attorneys, company executives “made a conscious choice to turn a blind eye to Amazon’s conduct.”

(More)



Read more: https://techstory.in/amazons-astronomical-misuse-of-customer-data-could-ruin-company/

[NQAS]

1. Ruin company?

A bit hyperbolic, I think.

First, this will take years and years to make its way through the courts. And that's if that one shareholder decides not to settle, cause that's what this could be about - a payday.

As for ruining Amazon. That's not a bad debate question. Amazon should be ruined. Yes. No. Proceed.

I'm going to guess that the assets of the executives being sued are well protected outside the US. They won't be ruined.

Hey, I agree with the premise. Amazon has done awful things. I was an Amazon seller for a while, until it dawned on me that I was losing money with every sale thanks to a host of Amazon fees.

And these individuals, and Amazon as a company, have more resources than any one or even any group of plaintiffs, or the government for that matter.

There may have been a point in time when it could have been reined in. That time is well in the past.

[Wicked Blue]

2. Good

Long overdue

[hibbing]

3. hahahahahahahahhaahahha It's not April 1 is it? n/t

[CrispyQ]

4. We traded our privacy for convenience.

I'm not condoning Amazon by any means, but we humans have some blame, too.

[NullTuples]

15. And yet other countries simply regulate Amazon and amazon agrees to their restrictions.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Too Big is Too Big because Too Big is concentrated power

politically, marketing, financially

[oldsoftie]

6. Yet another reason I NEVER use Amazon. STOP giving them your business.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

12. Same here...

... and Amazon owns the Freevee channel app on Roku and smart devices; it was named IMDb channel before the past month. They want you to register so you can, "keep your preferences and get email notices", for Freevee TV channel/app. But I will forego that, "privilege".

[SheltieLover]

7. Kicking for visibility

[not fooled]

8. Don't use Alexa, Ring, or any other of their "services"

Sounds as though that would eliminate a lot of the problem.

Not that they don't have giant databases on every customer anyway, but letting them monitor you with a camera is a whole 'nother level of intrusion.

[Justice matters.]

9. I could "pass" them a picture of my nefew instead of my own...

And they would never "know" it's not "me"... what an era...

[melm00se]

10. to access the information

that Amazon has on you:

- Go to Request My Data (here)
- Select the data you want to receive (choosing all is the last option)
- Click Submit Request when you're done.
- Once the request is processed, you will get an email.
- Click the validation link in your confirmation email.

The request may take a few weeks to be processed.

I have done it and it is rather eye opening.

[DENVERPOPS]

11. Walgreens has been selling

everyone's prescription info for years and making a fortune off of it, especially for their CEO and executives.

DOJ fines them an amount that is next to nothing compared from their revenues from doing it.

And they pay the fine, and just keep on doing it.............

Welcome to the U.S., no longer the United States of America, but the new:

UNITED CORPORATE FASCISTS OF AMERICA......

THE 2010 PASSING OF THE CITIZENS UNITED BY THE SUPREME COURT WAS THE KISS OF DEATH FOR THE U.S. AND DEMOCRACY.

[Firestorm49]

13. The bigger they are,.................

[FakeNoose]

14. I am a regular Amazon customer and member of Amazon Prime

However they have nothing on me other than my basic membership and credit card info. They have no biometrics on me, nor do they have my photo or voice because those things are turned off in my computer. I've never used my cellphone to shop or make purchases of any kind, and certainly not on Amazon. I regularly purge my Amazon searching/browsing data AND I have never given them permission to store or sell my data.

In short I've done everything a smart shopper can do to preserve their own privacy from grabby, greedy merchants. If Amazon has anything about me to archive, I'd be very surprised.

[TwilightZone]

16. The Seattle Times is nowhere to be found in your link.

And "techstory.in" doesn't seem terribly valid as a source.

The story is hyperbolic nonsense. Ruin the company? Come on....

[JudyM]

17. Locking

Consensus of the forum hosts is that this doesn’t meet the SOP for LBN because the lawsuit was was reported in financial papers at the end of April. Feel free to repost in the General Discussion forum.