Amazon threatened with criminal probe over reported search and product discrimination

House lawmakers are giving Amazon one last chance to correct the record on whether it uses seller data to copy popular third-party products and manipulate marketplace search results in light of recent reporting.

In the Monday letter addressed to Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy, lawmakers called on the company to provide “exculpatory evidence” to corroborate congressional testimony that directly conflicts with recent reporting regarding the use of third-party seller data. Specifically, lawmakers called out Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for statements made in a 2020 hearing, claiming that the ecommerce giant “prohibits the use of anonymized data, if related to a single seller, when making decisions to launch private brand products.”

That…

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