Privacy Groups Chide Amazon.com

EPIC and Junkbusters both cut ties to online bookseller over customer privacy concerns.

Margret Johnston, IDG News Service

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EPIC will immediately end its ties with Amazon.com and find a new way to distribute EPIC books and other materials on privacy, free speech, and related topics, according to an EPIC statement released Wednesday. Amazon.com's new privacy policy, announced September 1, prompted EPIC's decision to cut ties with the largest bookseller on the Web. (See "Amazon.com Revises Privacy Policy.")

Separately on Wednesday, Junkbusters ended its participation in Amazon.com's affiliate program.

Privacy Policy Change Cited

EPIC can no longer continue its relationship with Amazon.com because the new privacy policy means Amazon.com can no longer guarantee that it will not disclose customer information to third parties, EPIC Executive Director Marc Rotenberg tells subscribers in a statement. EPIC also cited the absence of legal or technical means to assure privacy for Amazon.com customers as a reason for severing ties.

Amazon.com's privacy policy no longer includes the "never@amazon.com" option, according to Sarah Andrews, policy analyst for EPIC. Customers previously could use that option to "opt out" of having personal information about them and their buying habits sold, she added.

"Amazon is saying 'we reserve the right to sell all your information,'" Andrews said.

Amazon.com's decision appears to be related to the Toysmart.com bankruptcy, Andrews said. After Toysmart.com filed for bankruptcy protection in June, the firm created controversy when it proposed treating data about Toysmart.com customers as a separate asset of the company. (See "Toysmart.com Case Fuels Privacy Debate.")

Toysmart.com and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission eventually reached a settlement allowing Toysmart.com to sell the customer information only to a qualified company buying Toysmart.com's entire business. However, that agreement ran aground in a federal bankruptcy court last month. (See "Toysmart Customer List Sale Stalled.")

Andrews said Amazon.com's move appears to be an attempt to shield the company from lawsuits in the event that it merges or acquires another company and wants to share information with that entity.

Amazon.com did not immediately return a call seeking comment on EPIC's decision.

EPIC has sold books online in association with Amazon.com since 1996. In 1998, EPIC joined the Amazon Advantage program through which EPIC sold such publications as the Privacy Law Sourcebook, EPIC's annual reports on Privacy and Human Rights, Cryptography and Liberty, and Filters and Freedom.

Junkbusters Opts Out

Junkbusters has also participated in Amazon.com's affiliate program. The organization runs a Web site that collects information about "junk" messages and how Web users can stop them.

Junkbusters mission is to inform people of their privacy rights and to alert them about threats to their privacy from direct marketers.

"Amazon's current privacy policy is unacceptably weak," Jason Catlett, Junkbusters president, wrote to Amazon.com. He urged Amazon.com to disclose customer information only with their affirmative consent, give customers access to all information Amazon.com has about them upon request, and delete all personal information if asked.

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