U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) recently wrote a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos concerning the process in which Amazon chooses products for its “Amazon’s Choice” recommendation list. The senators focused on Amazon’s “responsibility of providing its customers with accurate information” and questioned whether the badge was motivating consumers to purchase inferior products. The letter included questions about
Amazon’s use of an algorithm to make “Amazon Choice” decisions and asked whether employees personally reviewed products. Amazon’s response, according to Business Insider, was that it uses investigators and automated technology to detect and prevent fake reviews, which includes suspending, banning, and/or taking “legal action on those who violate our policies.” Already, Amazon, Google and Facebook have faced prying eyes, as they’ve gained greater influence over the public. The Department of Justice has announced its own investigation into such companies that corner the market in search, social media and ecommerce.