By: John Garrasi It is hard for younger generations to imagine a time before Amazon. The convinience and speed with which consumers are now able to have groceries, clothing, and movies delivered to their doorsteps seems to be the embodiment of American consumerism and instant gratification. Millions upon millions of Americans take advantage of Amazon’s… Read More Amazon’s Accountability
By: Lily Keene Biometric data is not protected under federal law. Therefore, data privacy regulation is left to state and local governments. Amazon Go stores first opened in 2018 and use what the company calls its “Just Walk Out Technology.” Shoppers scan a mobile app and are tracked using computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep… Read More Amazon Go Stores: Biometric Tracking Dystopia
By: Douglas DeBettencourt It is no surprise that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has made its way back into the headlines once again. There have been many debates about what protections Section 230 provides to big tech companies and the extent of these protections. But what about big online retailers that sell third-party… Read More A Big Win for Big Tech in NY: A New Application of Section 230
This blog discusses the privacy implications of Amazon’s Alexa, specifically through the cases, Braunack v. Amazon.com Inc. and Narreau v. Amazon.com Inc. The plaintiffs in these cases allege that not only does Amazon secretly record conversations under the guise of “false wake” recordings, but also stores those recordings to enable targeted advertising. This blog examines these cases as well as the legal privacy implications of this technology.… Read More Alexa: The Big Sister We Never Knew We Had
This blog explores the legal implications associated with counterfeits in the e-commerce industry and the possible benefits of the Shop Safe Act introduced to Congress on March 2, 2020. This issue has become increasingly prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the increase in online shopping, leading to the risk of unsafe and counterfeit purchasing of consumer goods. Lastly, this blog emphasizes that the Shop Safe Act would not only provide protection for consumers against harm to their health and safety, but would protect the profits and intellectual property rights of legitimate American businesses who have devoted countless hours and money into developing their products.… Read More The Shop Safe Act: Protection Against the Dangers of a Counterfeit World from Designer Handbags to Oxycontin
This blog looks at the successes and difficulties that Amazon, Inc. has faced in the COVID-19 era, specifically discussing how the pandemic has affected the company’s relationship with its employees. Primarily, there have been multiple lawsuits filed against the company by their employees relating to the safety of the warehouse environment. … Read More The Tests and Triumphs of Amazon in the COVID-19 Era
By William Raven “Google was the original gateway to the web. I’m here today to speak about how Google betrayed the web” stated Yelp policy head Luther Lowe at a Senate hearing on digital platforms focusing on anticompetitive practices. “Google physically demoted non-Google results even if they contained information with higher quality scores” further claimed… Read More Monetary Fines and Monopolization: The Case for More Aggressive Anti-Trust Measures in the World of Tech
By Lauren Riddle According to Amazon.com, the “Buy Box” is the box on a product detail page where customers can add items to their shopping carts immediately. A key feature of Amazon.com is that multiple sellers can offer the same product. If more than one eligible seller offers a product, they may compete for the… Read More Amazon & The Battle For the Buy Box
22-year-old Jesse Galganov went missing in Peru on September 28, 2017. Investigators need information from his iPhone and his Kindle e-reader in order to locate him. Apple, T-Mobile, and Amazon have refused to release this critical data despite requests from authorities and Jesse’s mother. … Read More Tech Data is Critical in Montreal Mother’s Search for her Son
After several years of litigation Amazon has decided to settle a case and pay out $70 million for in-app purchases made by children without parental permission.… Read More Amazon App Store: Primed for a Refund