John,

I’ll be honest—I use Amazon. I literally ordered baby wipes yesterday.

We get replies, when we send emails or post on social media about our campaigns to fight Amazon, from people who say it’s a great resource (especially during this pandemic). And I agree that it’s really convenient.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t hold Amazon accountable for doing bad things.

Here are some specific things Amazon does that we are fighting to stop:

Amazon partners with police departments in more than 1,400 cities across the country to give them access to footage from Ring doorbell cameras.¹ This amounts to a privately-run surveillance network, where police don’t have to abide by laws or public scrutiny
For years, Amazon marketed its dangerous facial recognition software, Rekognition, to its police partners and they knew police were using this technology incorrectly and without public oversight, and that Rekognition disproportionately misidentifies Black and brown people, transgender people, and women. After intense pressure and nationwide protests against police violence, Amazon announced a one year moratorium on police using Rekognition, but they could end this moratorium at any time, and continue to sell this racist software to law enforcement.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon has fired workers who have spoken out about unsafe conditions and lack of access to protective equipment.² While Jeff Bezos has continued to get richer and richer, he’s put the frontline workers in his warehouses—mostly Black, brown, and low-income people—in danger, and has silenced them if they speak up.
Amazon runs a monopolistic business model that crushes small businesses, destroys our communities, and subverts our democracy.³

This business model hurts real people. And we shouldn’t settle for it.

We think that lawmakers need to enact policies that force Amazon, and its CEO Jeff Bezos, to reduce these worst harms, to put an end to Amazon-police partnerships, and protect workers who speak out against unsafe conditions.

Standing up to a company with billions of dollars and close ties to politicians isn’t easy. We’re constantly looking for allied organizations and legislators who are willing to fight with us, paying attention to the company’s every move so we can point out their wrongdoings and shine the media spotlight on them, and bringing more and more people onboard to call out Amazon.

So, whether you use Amazon or not, if you agree that this company should not be allowed to subvert democracy and put people in danger, please consider making a donation and being a part of this campaign.

DONATE

Together,

Caitlin at Fight for the Future

Footnotes:

1. Cancel Amazon: https://www.cancelring.com/

2. Stop Silencing Workers: https://www.stopsilencingworkers.org/

3. Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-scooped-up-data-from-its-own-sellers-to-launch-competing-products-11587650015

Fight for the Future works to protect your rights in the digital age.