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Amazon Accuses FTC of Harassing Bezos in 'Burdensome' Probe (bloomberg.com) 31

Posted by msmash from the please-leave-us-alone,-thank-you dept.
Amazon.com accused the US Federal Trade Commission of harassing its founder Jeff Bezos and the company's Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy as it probes the e-commerce giant's business practices. From a report: In a filing made public on Monday, Amazon claimed that FTC staff have made "unduly burdensome" demands as the agency investigates whether the company's subscription services, including Amazon Prime, violate consumer protection laws. The online retailer is seeking to quash or limit the FTC's most recent civil investigative demands, which are similar to subpoenas. Amazon said the FTC's requests are "unworkable for Amazon to discern the information staff demands and to respond in the timeframe allowed."

The FTC, which has both antitrust and consumer protection mandates, has been investigating Amazon for potential anticompetitive conduct for several years. The filing offers an unusually public glimpse into the ongoing struggle between one of the world's biggest companies and one of its regulators. FTC Chair Lina Khan, who took over the position in June 2021, has escalated the investigation, shaking up the team, re-interviewing potential witnesses and asking questions about the company's recent acquisition of MGM Studios, Bloomberg reported in May
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Amazon Accuses FTC of Harassing Bezos in 'Burdensome' Probe More

Amazon Accuses FTC of Harassing Bezos in 'Burdensome' Probe

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  • Oh the billionaires! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by VeryFluffyBunny ( 5037285 ) on Tuesday August 16, 2022 @01:13PM (#62794141)
    Will nobody think of the poor billionaires! Or at least the poor billionaires' legal teams. I doubt Bezos spends much time on this personally.

    • fat target. The lawyers and Amazon will settle and promise to "not do it again." The ultimate payoff doesn't get back to the people negatively affected by these FTC settlements.

      • They're doing what they can (Score:5, Insightful)

        by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Tuesday August 16, 2022 @01:37PM (#62794237)
        but the voters keep giving them pro-corporate bosses in Congress, so they're hands are kinda tied.

        Said it before, say it again: we need to stop treating politics like it's reality TV. Stop voting for who has the best adverts and the most fun rallies. Don't listen to politicians speak, read transcripts of what they say. Take their body language out of the equation. Study and practice critical thinking techniques, and demand they be taught in schools.

    • It's standard practice. Deny, deflect, delay. Playing the victim card never works in the courtroom, no matter how much sympathy it stokes in the public, and yet that also seems to be the common tactic these days.

  • Awww Bezos is Sad (Score:3)

    by Your Anus ( 308149 ) on Tuesday August 16, 2022 @01:14PM (#62794145) Journal
    I'm sure he will have one of his minions dry his tears with a stack of money.

  • The link didn't work for me, try this. [bloomberg.com]

    Success breeds contempt. Amazon does a great job of delivering products at reasonable prices. Their success has taken years.
    Walmart was criticized for destroying main street small businesses with their supercenters.

    The only thing I don't like about this is the broad powers used by federal agencies looking for misdeeds. Enforcing laws is important but trying to use dredging techniques. Probes need to be focused and have a timeline.

    I'd also like FTC timelines rebated to c

    • *fines not timelines. ugh

    • I think it's tough to set up hard and fast deadlines. This is less about dredging at this point and more a cop walking his beat. Not that our country doesn't have it's own issues with cops, but the ones who walk the corporate beat are pretty restrained. Too much really if you ask me, given how they're abusing their near monopoly status.

  • ``Amazon claimed that FTC staff have made "unduly burdensome" demands as the agency investigates whether the company's subscription services, including Amazon Prime, violate consumer protection laws''

    Surely, this was intended as a joke. "Unduly burdensome" got me laughing anyway.

  • How many products does Amazon sell or warehouse that are not tested by something like Underwriter Labs (UL listed) or some other Code Authority? Many.

    That is in opposition to the US consumer protection laws. They can't control you from buying from outside or even inside the country but they can control businesses that resell and warehouse such products.
  • In other news, Ted Bundy, Ted Kaczynski, and Al Capone complain that they were harassed by the federal government.

  • Monopoly (Score:3)

    by JBMcB ( 73720 ) on Tuesday August 16, 2022 @01:55PM (#62794291)

    If only there was some other brick and mortar or on-line store where I can shop. Unfortunately, Amazon is the only place you can buy things. It's also the only grocery store and streaming service.

    Best Buy, Newegg, Publix, Kroger, Meijer, Giant Eagle, Monoprice, Drop, Wal-Mart, Macys, JC Penny, Netflix, HBO+, Hulu, Target, Kohls, Walgreens, CVS, Home Depot, Lowes, Menard's, Von Maur, Nordstrom's, Trader Joe's, Fresh Thyme, REI, Dick's, Sierra Trading Post, Bass Pro, Cabela's, TSC, ACE Hardware, Bed Bath & Beyond, TJ Maxx, Land's End, ABC Warehouse, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Zara, H&M, Old Navy, Orvis, Brooks Brothers, DSW, Foot Locker, Ulta, Micro Center - I'd love to shop at these stores but I can't any more because of Amazon.

    • Well, sure... those are places... but you're missing the grand narrative by insisting that facts align with it.

    • To be fair, streaming video aside those stores put together don't have the selection the Amazon has.

  • to use this to destroy the power of the FTC.

  • since Amazon/Bezos runs their warehouses (Score:3)

    by FudRucker ( 866063 ) on Tuesday August 16, 2022 @02:50PM (#62794459)
    like third world sweatshops and what i seen on the interstate highways with amazon trucks turned over and boxes scattered all over i wouild think they treat their truck drivers with the same sort of abuse, running them until they drop, so considering the way Amazon/Bezos treats their employees then Amazon/Bezos deserves all the harassment they can get, i hope it all unionizes and amazon is forced to treat workers with respect and truck drivers not forced drive until they have to cheat on their log books

  • Dems weaponize everything for political purposes.

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