In the News
All the rave reviews you see on Amazon products may not be entirely truthful. In Amazon is investigating claims that employees deleted reviews and sold sales data to sellers, Andrew Liptak from The Verge reports that Amazon employees have been bribed into tampering product reviews by removing low ratings. Liptak states that Amazon employees have been contacted by sellers and payed money to remove certain negative reviews from their products as well as provide email addresses for the customers who wrote such reviews. Amazon started an investigation into these reports stating that such behavior violates their Code of Business Conduct & Ethics.
Our Take
Amazon is a powerful force when it comes to online purchases, especially for college students. Whether it is textbooks, school supplies, clothes, or gadgets, Amazon seems to have it all for the busy college student – with the added bonus of free and fast delivery for Amazon Prime Student members. College students and all Amazon users depend upon the product reviews to determine if a given product is right for them. These reviews are especially important when you can’t see a product in person before making a purchase. It is disheartening to learn that product reviews may not be entirely truthful and can make individuals weary of purchasing products. However, the idea that Amazon employees ‘sell’ customer email addresses is a much more dangerous notion. Once in the hands of a malicious seller, an email address can be used to contact individuals via phishing, possibly obtaining additional personal information. Amazon’s actions are a positive step towards protecting their customers and should serve as a reminder to all customers to take product reviews with a grain of salt before ordering a product online.
Recommendations
So how can you protect you protect your privacy and ensure you are purchasing safe products online?
- Refrain from posting highly personal information when posting reviews and only share what is necessary
- Purchase products that have a high quantity of reviews when possible or purchase items based off of suggestions from friends and family
- Understand the legal rights and practices of companies that store your data
- Be cautious when opening emails from unknown sources and never click on links directly through an email
- Stay up to date on news regarding recent data breaches and news to see if you may have been affected