"Amazon shamefully launched a campaign to squash privacy
legislation while its devices listen to and watch our lives,"
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who has
been involved in bipartisan negotiations on privacy legislation,
wrote Friday on Twitter. "This is now the classic Big Tech move:
deploy money and armies of lobbyists to fight meaningful reforms
in the shadows but claim to support them publicly."
The revelations underscored the need for bipartisan action on
stronger privacy protections, he wrote. No major federal privacy
legislation has passed Congress in years because members have
been deadlocked on the issue.
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who has introduced
several privacy bills in recent years, said in a statement that
the Reuters story showed how companies including Amazon are
"spending millions to weaken state laws," and hoping Congress
will also water down federal legislation "until it's worthless."
"Congress needs to prove Amazon wrong, and pass legislation that
finally stops massive corporations from abusing and exploiting
our personal data," Wyden said.
Asked for comment, Amazon did not directly address the lawmaker
criticisms of its lobbying campaign against privacy protections.
The company reiterated its statement for the previous Reuters
report, saying it prefers federal privacy legislation to a
"patchwork" of state regulations. The company said it wants one
federal privacy law that "requires transparency about data
practices, prohibits the sale of personal data without consent,
and ensures that consumers have the right to request access to
and deletion of their personal information."
U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat who
chairs a key House consumer protection subcommittee that deals
with privacy issues, said the Reuters revelations show how
Amazon is working to block consumer privacy legislation while
"claiming to support" such regulations.
"What they mean is that they support privacy legislation that
protects their profits and their right to mine consumers' data,
including voice recordings and facial scans," she said in a
statement. "Congress is not convinced nor are we intimidated."
Two other lawmakers who represent areas with a significant
Amazon presence - U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee
Republican, and U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene, a Washington
state Democrat - also said Reuters' findings showed the need for
federal action to protect consumers.
"Congress will protect consumers' privacy to stop big tech
companies from stealing Americans' personal information, whether
these companies like it or not," Blackburn said in a statement.
(Reporting by Chris Kirkham and Jeffrey Dastin)
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