Amazon investigating reports of employee data leaks

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Amazon employees are offering internal data through intermediaries to merchants selling products on the site to help them improve sales.

The practice violates Amazon’s policy and is common in China, according to the WSJ’s sources. The report said intermediaries for Amazon employees in Shenzhen are offering data on sales metrics, reviewers’ email addresses, and a service to remove negative reviews, in exchange for payment.

Amazon confirmed it is conducting "a thorough investigation" of the claims. A spokesperson said: "We hold our employees to a high ethical standard and anyone in violation of our Code faces discipline, including termination and potential legal and criminal penalties. 

"In addition, we have zero tolerance for abuse of our systems and if we find bad actors who have engaged in this behaviour, we will take swift action against them, including terminating their selling accounts, deleting reviews, withholding funds, and taking legal action."