Amazon quietly publishes its political views. Here they are

Carolyn Adolph

October 11, 2019 / 11:10 am

caption: The Amazon Spheres are reflected in the Amazon Doppler building on Monday, January 29, 2018, during the spheres grand opening in Seattle.

Amazon has always been a company founded on strong principles: leadership principles such as “learn and be curious” and “hire and develop the best.” Now the company has published a list of its political positions.

Here's what stood out to us:

Amazon wants to be regulated.

Government should step in: Amazon says there needs to be a regulatory framework for facial recognition technology to ensure it is used appropriately..

Also, Amazon says consumer data privacy should be protected under federal law. Amazon statement does not say who owns the customer’s data – but it does say customers should have the power to delete personal information.

Even institutions people criticize should get the best technology.

Amazon won't deny technology to cops. Amazon says the safety and security of the country depends on governments having access to the best tech. That includes law enforcement agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, police forces and others – including facial recognition technology. Another class of customer that should get the best technology, Amazon says: the energy industry. Cloud services can be used to make legacy businesses less carbon-intensive, it says.

Counterfeiters need to be stopped.

It ought to be a bigger crime. Amazon says it’s been trying to stop sellers from flogging fake goods on its platform, and it says legal penalties should be higher for counterfeiting. Amazon clearly wants government's help in this game of whack-a-mole.

However, it's complicated: a recent New Yorker article suggests legitimate sellers may struggle to obtain Amazon’s help. In the story Birkenstock is reported saying that Amazon allowed fake versions of the company’s shoes to be sold on its site. Amazon says it addressed that concern, however the two companies had not sorted out all their differences.

Corporate tax codes.

Corporate tax codes should incentivize investment in the economy and job creation, Amazon says. That would explain what it saw as wrong with Seattle's failed head tax, which penalized job creation.

Amazon goes on to say there should be no loopholes artificially lowering tax rates, and it wants co-ordination between countries. Sure, Amazon's a global company. But given the flak it has taken over how little federal tax it pays and the conflict over the head tax, the company could have said much more. And it didn't.

Stuff Amazon has been telegraphing for awhile.

Human-induced climate change is real, serious, and action is needed from government and business: Amazon’s logistics network burns a lot of carbon. The company has pledged to run on 100% renewable energy by 2030.

The federal minimum wage in the U.S. is too low and should be raised: Amazon raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour across the US and says it offers an “egalitarian” benefits package regardless of level or seniority.

Diversity is good: The company says women earn between 99.5 and 101.5 cents for every dollar men earn in the same jobs, LGBTQ+ rights must be protected. And immigrants too. Here’s what Amazon’s interested in: a legal pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and reforms to the green card and high-skilled visa programs to help Amazon obtain the workers it needs from around the world.