Amazon Faces Scrutiny Over Misinformation on its Platform

Strategic Insights -

Amazon's role in amplifying misinformation about coronavirus vaccines is under increasing scrutiny by congressional Democrats, who accuse the e-commerce giant of directly profiting from sensationalism of anti-vaccine misinformation. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, has written a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, pressing him for answers on the company's policies and enforcement against such material. The scrutiny follows reports that Amazon's recommended products boost falsehoods about the vaccines, and that bad actors have exploited its systems to encourage medical conspiracy theories.

Key Takeaways:

  • Amazon's recommendation algorithms have been accused of promoting anti-vaccine products and quack science to consumers who engage with misleading products online.
  • Rep. Schiff is pressing Amazon to explain how it identifies "abuse" of its categorizations and how it decides which products to award recommendations such as its "Amazon's Choice" labels.
  • Schiff is also considering legislative remedies, including limiting the liability protections that shield digital services from lawsuits for hosting user content, known as Section 230.
  • Amazon's search and recommendation algorithms have been found to consistently surface false or misleading information about the vaccines, according to an investigation conducted by the staff of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
  • Amazon has gotten "sporadic" but not "sustained" attention as a potential hub for misinformation, due in part to how hard it is to study how materials spread on its site.
  • The company's approach to addressing misinformation has been described as "entirely hands off," with researcher Renee DiResta calling it a "product search engine" that bad actors have found ways to "game the distribution" of.
  • Amazon's spokesperson has stated that the company is constantly evaluating the books it lists to ensure they comply with its content guidelines, but has not provided further details.